Thanks to generous government rebates and tax incentives, as well as falling solar prices, the economic rationale for installing solar panels on rental properties has never looked so good. For landlords, installing a rooftop solar system on your rental property is a great way to increase the value of your asset and improve your rental […]
Category: australian
Tesla Solar Tiles. Are they ever coming?
In 2016 when Elon Musk launched his revolutionary concept for solar tiles, it captured the imagination of homeowners everywhere, including in Australia. In case you didn’t know, Tesla solar tiles are a roofing material that also produces solar electricity. And they look pretty fabulous. Back in 2016, the question was: When can I get them? […]
What size solar panel system should I get for my home?
Ten years ago, the average size residential solar system was around 2.6kW (approx. 13 panels at 200 watts per panel). Today it’s around 6.6kW (approx. 17 panels at 390 watts per panel). Industry projections are for the average size to increase to 10kW or more. In fact, that’s happening already. Look around and you’ll see […]
GST: A ticking time bomb for the Australian solar industry
There’s a right way and a wrong way to calculate GST on residential solar power (PV) systems. For various reasons, some solar companies are calculating GST in the wrong way. This is resulting in a massive underpayment of GST by Australian solar companies worth millions in unpaid taxes. This is a ticking time bomb for […]
Zero exports for your solar panels system. What does it mean?
Before a new solar panels system can be installed, it must first be approved for connection to the electricity grid by the local network distributor. Generally, this happens without a hitch. But in a minority of cases, would-be solar owners are sometimes told their property is zero export limited for solar. If you get export […]
How does a Virtual Power Plant Work?
A Virtual Power Plant is a network of homes with solar batteries, connected using smart software. The purpose of a Virtual Power Plant, or VPP, is to share energy, reduce power bills and reduce reliance on the grid. VPPs are an important step towards greater use of renewable energy in the national electricity grid. They […]
Will I be charged for my solar exports anytime soon?
You may have heard about a proposed “Sun Tax” on solar exports. Maybe you’ve seen recent media coverage about curtailment of rooftop solar. Clearly, there are challenges in the national electricity market. But does that mean you’re going to be charged for exporting your surplus solar to the grid? The short answer is ‘probably not’. […]
Bigger rebates for Victorian households who join a new Virtual Power Plant Pilot
Victorian homeowners who purchase battery storage now have the option to join a new Virtual Power Plant Pilot (VPP) through the Victorian Government’s Solar Homes Program. If eligible, homeowners will receive a boosted battery rebate of $4,174 as well as financial incentives from their VPP provider. Each VPP plan is different. Most provide ongoing electricity […]
What are distributor inverter limits?
When you’re looking into getting solar panels on your home or business, you may hear the term, ‘distributor inverter limits’. You may even be told that you can’t have the size system you want because of these limits. For anyone new to solar, it’s fair enough to query these limits. Why put a limit on […]
More than 750 solar installers have disappeared since 2011. Why?
Australia leads the world in rooftop solar with over 3 million solar panels systems installed. A staggering 360,000 rooftop solar systems were installed in Australia in 2021, an increase of almost 40 per cent compared to 2020. Now, more than 1 in 4 Australian homes have installed a solar panels system. It’s a great result […]
