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

How Residential Demand Tariffs Could Add $1000’s To Your Bill

August 16, 2016 2016-08-19T08:13:47 by 17 Comments

demand tariff

Electricity companies around Australia are starting to roll out a new way to charge you for electricity. It is called a residential demand tariff.

Unsurprisingly this new tariff can result in higher bills for you, and higher profits for them.

This post is important. It will explain to you what a demand tariff is, how it works, and why many households should avoid it at all costs.

The electricity companies want to make demand tariffs the norm, so you must be armed with the knowledge to spot one when you see one, and understand the implications of signing up for one. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Electricity Prices Tagged With: , ,

Solar Panels By The Sea And Corrosion Resistance

August 11, 2016 2024-01-03T18:59:18 by 19 Comments
beach house with solar

If you are putting solar on a house by the sea then I’m jealous! And I also need to tell you about the IEC-61701 standard.

Oh, I do like to be beside the seaside,
I do like to be beside the sea…

Ever wonder why you never hear a robot singing that song? I’ll tell you why.

Two words: corrosion!

Sorry, that was one word. Two words – bad corrosion! [Read more…]

Filed Under: Solar Panels Tagged With:

Why Oversizing Solar Panel Arrays Is A Smart Move

August 9, 2016 2024-04-08T10:18:05 by 87 Comments
house with lots of solar panels

Did you know you can add panels up to 133% of your inverter capacity? Read on to discover why oversizing solar is a smart move (as long as your roof is big enough – unlike this guy’s).

Installing rooftop solar systems with a total panel capacity greater than the inverter capacity is usually a very good idea.  It will certainly save you money, but it can also help get around the restrictions many Australians face on the size of inverter they can connect to the grid. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Solar Inverters, Solar Panels Tagged With: ,

Seraphim Solar Panel Review: Heaven or Hell?

August 5, 2016 2019-07-10T16:46:47 by 23 Comments
seraphim solar panels being reviewed by Ronald

Ronald looks into Seraphim Solar Panels. Yes, Ronald really looks like that.

One solar panel manufacturer who seems to be popping up a lot recently is Seraphim Solar. On the plus side they appear to make top quality panels which have done a good job of impressing people, receiving an average rating of almost 4.9 out of 5 from our customer reviews.

But they get a black mark, for not having an Australian office despite having been sold here for some time. That fact could be a showstopper for some solar buyers as there are plenty of good solar panels for sale in Australia with fully supported Australian offices

Update 10 July May 2019: SAE group is an importer of Seraphim panels and responsible for manufacturer warranties for panels they imported, but are not the only importer of panels and not responsible for the manufacturer warranties of panels brought into the country by other companies.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Solar Panels Tagged With: , , ,

Chernobyl Gives Solar Power 3 Thumbs Up!

July 31, 2016 2016-07-31T22:01:57 by 10 Comments
Chernobyl with 3 thumbed hand

Ukraine plan to install a 1GW solar farm in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. Illustration: Tsunami Hee Ja

Why shouldn’t you wear underpants made in the Soviet Union?

Because Cher-nob-yl fall out.

And if you think that terrible joke doesn’t apply to you because you are female just spend some time in Chernobyl and maybe you’ll grow something that can fall out of your Soviet underpants. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Big Solar Tagged With: ,

Dead Set Solar Legends Donate 30kW Solar System To Kid’s Charity

July 27, 2016 2017-04-18T17:28:15 by Leave a Comment
kid and solar panels

The Australian solar industry. It’s full of kind, generous people.

Do you love children?

I do.

And this is not a lead in to a stupid joke where I say, “…with tomato sauce”.

In fact, all things  considered, I find children to be about exactly as annoying as I find adults.  So if you’re human, no matter what your age, you’re okay as far as I am concerned. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Solar Panels Tagged With: , ,

East West Facing Solar Panels On A Single Inverter Input Can Work Well

July 15, 2016 2021-04-06T23:25:41 by 49 Comments
east and west facing solar panels

Is it OK to put East and West facing panels on a single input inverter?

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Solar Inverters Tagged With: ,

Tesla Quietly Release New Powerwall Warranty: But There’s One Big Problem…

July 13, 2016 2017-04-18T17:33:36 by 15 Comments
powerwall warranty

The new Powerwall warranty quietly introduced into Australia last month says you are not covered for ‘normal degradation’. Whatever that means.

Can I interest you in buying a revolutionary new energy storage system? It is called the Brakulator 7000. It has a usable storage capacity of 6.4 kilowatt-hours with a continuous power output of 3.3 kilowatts.  And the great thing is it comes with a 10 year warranty.

Are you interested? [Read more…]

Filed Under: Battery Storage Tagged With: , ,

Standard Tariffs Vs Time Of Use Pricing. Which Goes Best With Solar?

July 8, 2016 2021-08-09T15:46:56 by 25 Comments
time of use meter

What will give you the lowest bill, a standard or time of use tariff? What if you add solar? What about batteries?

Australians pay for grid electricity in two ways.  The most common way is a standard tariff. But you can also choose a time-of-use tariff.

What is a standard tariff?

This is where you pay a fixed rate for each kilowatt-hour used, plus a hefty supply charge.  Australians have been paying for electricity this way since the the electricity meter, invented in 1888, was developed into the ‘spinning dial’ type in 1914. So Australians have been using standard tariffs for over  a century. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Electricity Prices Tagged With: , ,

ABB and Sungrow Join Forces To Make Big-Ass Inverters

July 7, 2016 2024-01-25T15:39:16 by 4 Comments
sungrow and abb logo

Sungrow and ABB announce a ‘strategic alliance’ to make big inverters.

Sungrow, China’s largest manufacturer of inverters, and ABB, a Swiss based company that is one of the largest engineering conglomerates in the world, have joined forces to create a strategic alliance which is expected to benefit both companies far more than a non-strategic alliance would.

On the 2nd of June they signed an agreement to work together to design a megawatt class 1,500 volt, central inverter system using Sungrow’s inverters and ABB’s transformers.

They have pinky promised to also promote each others’ products and improve cooperation between the two companies for a period of three years. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Uncategorized
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