In 2023, Josh Mylne and his family reached a milestone many aspire to: an all-electric lifestyle. Their energy bills, once soaring over $5,500, have been slashed to just $612 for the entire year, thats for both home and transport. Josh now spends only 11% of his pre-electrification yearly bills, and a mere 10% compared to the average West Australian household’s energy + fuel costs.
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The Net Zero Australia Report came out on Friday, and I gotta tell ya, it’s a doozy!  It’s so enormous the report’s summary report is 95 pages.  It would take me a month of Sundays to get through the whole thing, but I have exactly one Sunday, so I’ll quickly say what it’s about and describe how you’re likely to see its results abused online and in the media. [Read more…]

The difference between kW (kilowatts) and kWh (kilowatt-hours) is one of the most misunderstood, and hence, widely discussed topics in the solar industry. However, energy literacy is not just a matter of semantics, but also economics. [Read more…]

Investing in a residential home battery and solar system is generally considered feasible only if the payback falls within the battery warranty period – typically 10 years. According to this bloke, that’s easily doable. [Read more…]

If you’ve been paying attention, you’ve probably heard about a recent breakthrough in nuclear fusion. But if you missed it because you were distracted by Elon Musk’s latest buffoonery, you’re forgiven. [Read more…]

Inflation is back, and the cost of living is rising. While not as bad as headlines may claim, we’ll end up a lot poorer if inflation starts to beat wage growth consistently. [Read more…]

I’m So Lonely!  Will Solar Panels Fill The Aching Void In My Heart?  And Do I Have To Pay Them Folding Money?

If you ask me,

“Hey Ronald, should I get solar power?”

My answer will be, [Read more…]

If you want Australian made solar panels, I recommend Tindo Solar.  They have a track record of quality panel production nearly a decade long.  But you’ll pay a premium for Australian made.  

If you’re happy to pay extra, this isn’t a problem.  But if you choose cheaper, imported panels are you harming our economy by not buying an Australian-made product? [Read more…]

Ninety-eight percent of the world’s solar cells are made from silicon.  This is thanks to its suitability as a PV material and its low cost compared to alternatives.  While the price of solar silicon has its ups and downs, the overall trend has been downwards.  It reached a record low in June 2020.  After taking inflation into account, it was around one-thirteenth of its 2007 price. 

But the record low didn’t last, and over the past 12 months it has gone from under $7 US per kilogram to over $28 US.  In relative terms, this has been the largest solar silicon price increase in history.    [Read more…]

Winter is coming.   The cold month of June is almost upon us.  In Adelaide where I dwell, winter brings grey skies and decreased solar output.  The cold, dark of the evening arrives early and brings a time for family, fellowship, and food.

Now is the perfect time for me to write about slow cookers and how useful they are for solar households. [Read more…]