Do you own a strata property and want solar power?

Then you’ve probably hit a giant roadblock: although you own the property, you probably don’t own the roof. And that’s a problem if you want to put panels on some of that roof.

Well, I have some good news for strata property owners. Installing solar on that shared roof could be easier than you think. [Read more…]

(trigger warning for solar nerds – this story has a very sad ending)

Finn asked me to write a post on the worst solar installation I ever had to do. The worst? Ah, let me count the ways I could interpret that… this could become a series. [Read more…]

When it comes to installing solar arrays on buildings, one particularly edgy subject is exclusion zones. [Read more…]

Cable conduit can look awful on a solar roof, and is overused by crap installers. But sometimes a little bit of rooftop rigid conduit can be justified. Image: Crap Solar Facebook Group

Protective electrical conduit is a small part of every solar install, but using it properly can make or break both the compliance and the aesthetics of that job.

This post will explore the use of cable conduit in and on a solar roof. [Read more…]

Solar panel warranties have lots of interesting conditions in them.  Some require panel cleaning while others forbid any shading of any panels.  [Read more…]

TLDR: Can you put solar panels facing south in Australia? Hell yeah!

In 2010, when Australian rooftop solar power really started to take off, nearly every Australian solar system faced north to maximise energy yield.  But today, on an unshaded roof, panels facing any direction can pay for themselves.  This includes the ‘worst’ direction: south. [Read more…]

Finding a high feed-in tariff is becoming harder. Our feed-in-tariff comparison tool makes the job easier, but increasingly electricity retailers are putting system size limits on their most generous solar feed-in rates. [Read more…]

To maximise the solar energy generated over a year, the perfect roof to install solar panels on in Australia is large, north-facing and inclined at an angle close to the location’s latitude.

Panels mounted parallel to this perfect roof will be optimised for annual energy yield, and in most parts of Australia, should seldom need cleaning. Thanks to their angle, rain will slide off, cleaning as it goes.

Flat roofs are not ideal for solar. [Read more…]

Have you ever noticed that most solar panels installed on Australian roofs are mounted in portrait orientation?

Portrait is more popular because solar panels are cheaper and quicker to install this way.

This post will explain why panel orientation can matter, and why you may be better off with landscape panels despite the extra effort required to install them. [Read more…]

Compared to Australia, New Zealand is a mere beginner in the adoption of household solar power – while Australia had 2.68 million installations at the end of 2020 (source: CSIRO), New Zealand had just 33,771 solar installations at the end of July 2021 (source: Electricity Authority). [Read more…]