Posts By Ronald Brakels, Author & Fact-Checker At SolarQuotes

Does Solar Victoria’s “Case Study” Violate Australian Consumer Law?

February 24, 2020 2020-02-24T11:17:12 by 33 Comments
Solar Victoria case study

Solar Victoria’s marketing department wanted to spruik their solar battery rebate. Did they choose to mislead or inform the public?

On the 16th of January 2020 Solar Victoria published what they called a “case study” under the Latest News section on their web site.  It’s about a person who is happy with their new solar battery system.  On the face of it, that seems a lot better than someone who is unhappy with their battery system, but I suspect the person who bought it may have been misled and won’t be so happy with their purchase after they learn the truth. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Battery Storage

Has Chief Scientist Alan Finkel Got It Wrong On Hydrogen And Natural Gas?

February 17, 2020 2023-11-24T10:07:08 by 42 Comments

Chief Scientist Dr. Alan Finkel - Hydrogen

On Wednesday last week Australia’s Chief Scientist, Alan Finkel, gave a talk on Australia’s energy future at the National Press Club.  While there’s no doubt Australia’s Chief Scientist is a smart cookie, I think a couple of predictions he made are fairly obviously wrong. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Economics Of Solar

Solar Panels With Water Channels: Good For Roof Slopes Under 10 Degrees

February 10, 2020 2020-02-10T11:44:33 by 16 Comments
Solar panel water channels

Under 10 degrees tilt? Try groovy solar panels made by Winaico (and others).

It’s really bucketing down here in Queensland right now.  I’m relieved because until this evening there was a remote but real possibility of everything going all orange and wavy and really hot.  I have friends coming over from Taiwan and I’d be most dreadfully embarrassed if all we had to offer them was a fine selection of ashes. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Solar Panels

Victorians Can Get $50 From The Victorian Energy Compare Website Because We Are A Nation Of Idiots

February 6, 2020 2020-02-06T21:31:54 by 16 Comments
Victorian Energy Compare website $50 bribe

Victorians can get $50 from the Victorian Energy Compare website until the 30th of June 2020 because they’d rather waste money on bribes than allow real competition.

If you live in Victoria and have an electricity or gas account in your name, you can get $50 from the Victorian Government.  Why are they handing out $50 to every household that asks for it? [Read more…]

Filed Under: Electricity Prices

The Canberra Battery Test Centre’s 7th Report: 83% Faulty

February 3, 2020 2020-02-03T10:38:45 by 44 Comments
Solar battery test winners

Of 18 batteries tested, 7 didn’t need repair or replacement and only 3 batteries passed the testing without issue: Sony Fortelion, Samsung AIO, and Pylontech. Sony was the best performer by my reckoning.

Good news!  The Canberra Battery Test Centre have released their 7th report.  I admit I’m a little behind in reporting this because it wasn’t released this month, or last month, or even the month before that.  It came out all the way back in September.  But it’s their fault I’m so late writing about it.  [Read more…]

Filed Under: Battery Storage

SolarQuotes’ New Retail Electricity Plan Comparison Tool Can Save You Money — It Let Me Afford Pizza

January 27, 2020 2020-01-27T17:17:05 by 50 Comments
Electricity plan comparison tool

Introducing Solarquotes New Retail Electricity Plan Comparison Tool:  It Will Pay For Pizza!

I’m paying way too much for electricity.  It’s driving me broke!  Financially I was doing okay until I told everyone I’d buy them pizza and it end up costing me $90.  How can pizza cost $90?  It’s dough, tomato sauce, ham, pineapple, and maybe some corn if you’re Japanese.  How can that be $90?  We only had four of them! [Read more…]

Filed Under: Electricity Prices

AEMC Report — Electricity Prices To Fall Thanks To Renewable Energy

January 20, 2020 2024-01-25T09:59:57 by 24 Comments
Wind energy and solar power - AEMC

Electricity Prices To Fall Thanks To Wind And Solar Power — But Not In WA!

If you don’t live in Western Australia I have good news.  A report released on December the 9th by the Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) says electricity prices will fall in all states except WA.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Electricity Prices

Solar Power And Bushfires: Safety, Shutdowns And Cleaning Off Soot

January 13, 2020 2020-01-13T14:12:16 by 16 Comments

Cleaning bushfire ash from solar panels

Lately, Australia has been having a bit of a problem with bushfires.  You may have noticed.  It’s been on the telly.  Also, there’s a good chance you’ve been spluttering on vast clouds of smoke blowing across the country.  Smoke and fine ash from the fires can travel thousands of kilometers before settling and most of us now have a fine layer of soot on our solar panels, while those nearer to fires may have a thick layer of ash. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Solar and the Environment

AEMO Says They Will Support A Broken Market System That Puts Lives In Danger

January 6, 2020 2020-01-06T12:17:58 by 25 Comments
AEMO 2020 Integrated System Plan

Australia’s Energy Markets Are Broken Because They Ignore Externalities

You would think the middle of a horrendous bushfire season — at a time when large areas of New South Wales were ablaze and air quality in Sydney was worse than Shanghai thanks to smoke hanging in the air like the ghost of gums before drifting out to sea — would be a bad time for the Australia Energy Market Operator (AEMO) to announce they are okay with people dying from fossil fuel use as long as someone is making money from it. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Economics Of Solar

Australia Likely To Suffer 1,000 Or More Excess Deaths From Bushfire Smoke

January 6, 2020 2020-01-07T15:18:07 by 14 Comments
Deaths from Australian bushfire smoke

Wagga Wagga yesterday. So smokey you can’t even make out a single Wagga.

According to UQ Economics Professor, John Quiggin, Australia is likely to suffer 1,000 or more excess deaths due to smoke pollution from the current disastrous bushfire season. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Solar and the Environment
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