We’ve seen a big change in the solar industry recently. With batteries becoming standard, everyone is getting backup.

The problem is that poor design and sales misunderstandings are leaving people, especially three-phase customers, with a total oxymoron: unreliable backup power.

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Last week I was in Officeworks waiting for some printing. Next to me, a woman was buying a laptop, and the Officeworks bloke helping her knew his stuff. Processors, RAM, screen brightness: all of it correct. Then he asked whether she’d considered a Mac, which opened a second long conversation about MacBooks, and by the end of it, she looked more confused than when she started.

He left her to think it over. I couldn’t help myself. [Read more…]

Parallel supply to the house on the left – Series connection on the right

Everyone buying solar wants lower bills, but adding expensive batteries should be more about a reliable supply than straight-up bean-counting.

The solar industry has, for a long time, glossed over a pretty basic point in battery-backed systems, so strap in while we explain the difference between series and parallel-connected supplies, and why it matters.

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Most of us want to believe the best in people.

If your solar installer says they’re waiting on stock, you’ll probably accept it. If they ask for a few more weeks, you’ll give them a few more weeks.

But when does patience stop being reasonable?

That’s the question NSW homeowner Mark Barnes eventually found himself asking after seven months of delays, a missed installation date and, after cancelling his battery order, still waiting for the return of his $6,500 deposit. [Read more…]

A major solar retailer operating under four different names – and promoted by retired cricketer Michael Clarke – faces multiple investigations after copping hundreds of complaints, ranging from allegations of dodgy worksmanship to unrefunded deposit payments for installs that never happened.

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Aldi Solar is expanding, with people in Western Australia and South Australia now able to get in line. But there are plenty of red flags to be aware of before getting a solar and battery system from a discount supermarket.

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Every year we publish the Installer’s Choice Awards, and every year the same two objections turn up in the comments within about four milliseconds.

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This week SolarQuotes ticked over one million quote requests. Somewhere in a database is customer number one¹, and somewhere in the queue right now is customer number one million.

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Australia needs more electricians, and one organisation believes helping more women complete their apprenticeships is part of the answer.

Big Sister is working with apprentices, employers and training providers to improve the number of women entering electrical trades and, just as importantly, staying long enough to become qualified.

The work comes as demand grows for electricians capable of installing solar, home batteries, EV chargers and the other equipment needed to electrify Australian homes.

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The Clean Energy Regulator (CER) has suspended 21 solar companies from the small-scale solar rebate scheme, moved to ban a retailer for falsely claiming installations were complete, and issued a warning to installers over fake verification photos.

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