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

Solar Blockchain: A Revolutionary New Method Of Charging Fees

solar blockchain

Is solar blockchain going to revolutionise the way we buy energy? Or is it a load of overhyped bollocks?

Blockchain is a revolutionary new technology with the revolutionary ability to revolutionize our lives.

[Read more…]

A Fair Solar Feed-In Tariff For Australia Is Around 22 Cents

 

Solar Feed-In Tariffs Should Be Higher Than They Are — But Not As High As Some Believe

In my not at all humble opinion, Australian solar feed-in tariffs are too damn low!  People aren’t receiving a fair deal for the clean solar energy they export to the grid.  This is bad for our nation and the world because with a fairer price we would see more rooftop solar installed which would reduce the damage to our health and our environment from burning fossil fuels.

But before I am voted leader of the revolution for higher feed-in tariffs and march my armies on Canberra — or maybe somewhere that’s actually nice to go — I should point out that, unlike some people, I don’t think solar feed-in tariffs should equal the retail cost of electricity.  While feed-in tariffs  should be higher than they are now, a “fair” price is likely to still be less than what most of us are are normally charged for grid electricity.

As a result, this article will probably end up a successful attempt at making the maximum number of people possible disagree with me. [Read more…]

Hansol Technics AIO Battery System: Don’t Call It A Samsung

Samsung has decided to let their partner, Hansol Technics, take over their residential battery storage systems. However, the rebranding probably wasn’t done by someone cosplaying as Bob Ross.

There are now over 200 Samsung AIO battery systems installed in Australia, providing battery power to households both on-grid and off.  Their manufacturer, Samsung, is a giant, South Korean based, multinational conglomerate and if you’d like snag yourself a brand new AIO battery system from them, that’s terribly unfortunate, because you can’t have one.

[Read more…]

Longi Solar Arrive In Australia. Tier 1 Panels With Impressive Performance Warranty

longi solar panels

Quite Possibly The Largest Monosilicon Solar Panel Producer In The World…

Longi Solar is a Chinese company that has accumulated solar panel production capacity at a prodigious pace.

Also, they’ve grown really fast. [Read more…]

Energy Storage Echo Chamber Has Greens And Coalition Working To Increase Emissions

Greens MP and Liberal MP calling for storage subsidies

The Greens and the Libs agree on one thing at least: that storage should be subsidised. But should it?

The mainstream media has been full of news about energy storage over the last few months. [Read more…]

Is Your Electricity Retailer Ripping You Off On Solar Feed-In Tariffs?

pick pocket

I’m getting reports that some electricity retailers are refusing to honour the full feed-in-tariff. In my opinion, that is theft.

Let Me Know If Your Electricity Retailer Is Cheating You Out Of Your Solar Feed-In Tariff… [Read more…]

Clean Energy Council Sounds Warning On Solar Panel Quality

solar alarm

CEC are concerned with the reliability of solar panels entering Australia, and are taking steps to address it.

On Thursday I attended the All Energy Conference and saw a presentation by Sandy Pulsford of the Clean Energy Council on solar panel quality.  The gloomy skies above Melbourne that day well matched the bad news he gave about the quality of some solar panels in Australia. [Read more…]

How Many Solar Panels Do You Need To Charge An Electric Car?

dude charging his car with solar

If you are thinking of buying an electric car and have solar then you need to read this.

I recently wrote about how an electric car revolution is coming thanks to declining battery costs and rising environmental concern.  I made a promise in that article I would soon write about charging electric cars with rooftop solar and soon is now.  Or at least it soon will be. [Read more…]

SunPower P-Series Panels Now Available In Australia

sunpower p-series panel

UPDATE 27th August 2018:  It has kindly been brought to my attention the warranty for SunPower’s P17 panels excludes normal residential installation.  The SunPower P17 warranty says it does not apply to:

“PV Modules which have been installed on single-family homes or semi‐detached homes, including but not limited to duplexes and townhomes. For clarity, apartment and condominiums are not excluded.”

UPDATE 31st August 2018:  P18 and P19 panels will be covered by SunPower’s warranty when installed on residential homes.  Warranties for P-series panels can be downloaded from SunPower’s Australian site on this page

 

SunPower Performance Series solar panel, or P-Series for short, are now available in Australia.  These attractive panels aren’t available in a wide range of colours and are a lower efficiency but cheaper alternative to SunPower’s E-Series and X-Series panels.  While sold overseas for more than a year, they’ve only been available Down Under for a few months and they’ve been on the down low, as their arrival was devoid of fanfare. [Read more…]

Electric Cars Will Roll Over The Competition

Tesla Superchargers

Tesla superchargers connected to Tesla S electric luxury vehicles in Adelaide sitting opposite Mitsubishi MiEVs.

The Electric Car Revolution Is Coming And Cannot Be Stopped

Electric cars are approaching a major milestone.  Soon they will reach 1% of total world vehicle production.

If you don’t think that’s a big deal, consider how quickly things changed once 1% of people had the internet or 1% had smartphones.  This might not seem like a reasonable comparison, as a brand new electric car costs more than twice as much as the latest iPhone, but things are definitely taking off. [Read more…]

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