On October 1st, Australia’s National Electricity Market is changing from 30-minute to 5-minute settlement.

In this article, I’ll explain exactly what Australian households need to do to prepare for this event. [Read more…]

If you have a home battery, a time-of-use tariff can save you money. 

How much depends on…

• Battery Capability:  This includes usable storage capacity, power output, and flexibility.
• Location:  Time-of-use tariffs vary greatly from state to state.  To a lesser degree, they can vary within states.
• Electricity consumption habits and solar electricity production
• Whether or not you are part of a VPP (Virtual Power Plant) that allows a time-of-use tariff.

[Read more…]

SolarQuotes Founder Finn Peacock offers some important advice for Australians considering signing up for a VPP (Virtual Power Plant) program. [Read more…]

Last week I was contacted by a Queenslander named Terry.  He was chuffed about the electricity bill savings he was getting by using a demand tariff with his home battery.  [Read more…]

If one renewable energy technology for your home deserves particularly careful due diligence, it’s the home battery system. A solar battery is an incredibly dense box of energy. If something goes wrong, the consequences could be dire. [Read more…]

Batteries beat Snowy Hydro 2.0 on cost – Sound crazy? Read on…

In the Snowy Mountains, a monumental machine has begun to carve its way into the earth creating a giant tunnel for what will be one of the world’s largest pumped hydro energy storage systems.  The Snowy Hydro 2.0 scheme is so ambitious politicians may be legally required to wear two hard hats when posing for photo ops. [Read more…]

Ronald analyses the latest battery test results just as you like it. This twice-told tale shows the course of true battery love may not run smooth.

Do you enjoy reading about home batteries?  I know I do.  This is why I’m addicted to reports from the Canberra Battery Test Centre.  They’re like Shakespeare!  That is, they’re mostly tragedy but there’s also some comedy as well. [Read more…]

If you’re an Australian hoping to buy a Tesla Powerwall battery system, I have bad news.  It’s so bad that before I reveal it, you may want to sit down and prepare to offer words of comfort to your wallet. [Read more…]

Wanna go off-grid? Now you can officially do it with Tesla Powerwalls.

Please Note; Tesla withdrew support for off-grid applications of the Powerwall 2 in March 2023. Off-grid systems installed before March 31, 2023, would continue to be supported, but new off-grid installations after that date would not be recommended or covered by warranty.

For the ordinary on-grid customer, batteries are optional. They’re nice to have if you can afford them. Although they’re unlikely to pay for themselves, there are plenty of people who want them for backup, lower power bills, and the joy of using much less grid electricity.

But if you’re off-grid (as I am), batteries aren’t optional – they are how you get through the night and have the lights come on in the morning. [Read more…]

Table salt could hold the key to bigger, cheaper Li-ion batteries.

Just before Australia went into its traditional summer stupor, someone from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in America got in touch with me about research into single-crystal technologies for Lithium-ion batteries.

[Read more…]