In light of the fact that solar & battery system prices have stabilised in recent times, Solar Choice has made the decision to begin publishing our Price Indexes quarterly as […]
Tag: battery storage
Reposit First energy monitoring system reviewed
Since February of this year I’ve had Reposit Power’s Reposit First monitoring system installed at my Newcastle home. The goal has always been to write a review of how the […]
Customer dissatisfaction with electricity retailers driving uptake of solar, batteries
Australian consumers are even less satisfied with energy retailers than they are with banks and insurers, and are increasingly choosing to take matters into their own hands – a consumer […]
Gannawarra Solar Farm opening ceremony [Photos & Video]
After a five-year journey, Gannawarra Solar Farm has been two thirds commissioned and will soon be sending clean energy into the grid at full production. The project, at 60MW DC […]
An improvement to our Solar & Battery Storage Calculator
Our Solar & Battery Storage Payback Estimator is one of the most widely-accessed resources on the Solar Choice website, with thousands of visitors per month. We take pride in the […]
Considering battery storage? Do these 5 things first
In April last year, we got 7.8kW of solar with a SolarEdge inverter, including consumption monitoring. In November, we got a 9.3kWh LG Chem battery. From this experience, we have […]
The role of flow batteries in the future renewable energy grid [VIDEO]
One of the most impressive presentations from the 2018 Australian Energy Storage Conference was the keynote speech on the second day by Redflow ‘technology evangelist’ (and former chief) Simon Hackett. […]
Battery Storage Price Index – June 2018
Even with substantial changes to the database used to compile this month’s index, average battery storage system prices have moved only slightly from May. This seems to be an indication […]
The impressive numbers behind the Tesla ‘big battery’ in SA
The 100MW big battery installed by Tesla in South Australia has taken a 55 per cent share in the state’s frequency and ancillary services market, and lowered prices in that […]
NSW solar feed-in tariff rates to drop from 1 July 2018: What does it all mean?
NSW’s regulator IPART has released its draft report for its recommendations for the state’s benchmark solar feed-in tariff range, to come into effect from 1 July 2018. The recommended ‘flat’ […]
Battery Storage Price Index – May 2018
This month saw the most significant changes to battery installation prices since we started keeping track last November, thanks in part to an influx of data from companies in the […]
Battery Storage Price Index – April 2018
This month’s data saw changes only in the larger two size categories that we track (i.e. 11-15kWh and 16-20kWh), where average prices actually increased slightly, due partially to the addition of […]
AC vs DC battery storage explained
As interest in solar battery storage grows, so does the number of people with questions about their many options. At some point, energy storage system shoppers may find themselves having […]
ESB scraps proposal of mandatory storage for all new wind & solar
Australia’s Energy Security Board has effectively rejected the Conservative push for wind and solar to conform to outdated standards of “baseload” energy supply, and instead focused its thinking on reliability […]
Over 20,000 battery storage systems installed in Aus in 2017: SunWiz
After an extended period of research, SunWiz has released its much-anticipated Australian Battery Market Report for 2018. As Australia’s leading provider of solar market research, SunWiz’s position of a trusted independent […]
How baseload can be replaced with renewables & storage
Deconstructing baseload. It is the title of a chapter in a recent report from REN21, the global renewable energy agency, highlighting just how dramatic the energy transition will be as […]
Battery Storage Price Index – March 2018
With another month of minimal changes to battery pricing in our database, we’ve used the opportunity to again alter the presentation of our ‘Our We There Yet’ Meter to focus […]
Gannawarra Solar Farm to get one of two new Victorian ‘big batteries’
Following on the heels of South Australia, Victoria is set to become home to two ‘big batteries’ of its own. The grid-scale battery banks – one manufactured by Tesla and […]
Our presentation to Ku-ring-gai Council
On Wednesday 14 March, James gave a presentation to about 60 residents of Ku-ring-gai Council in Sydney. Anyone who is interested can view the slides from the presentation here. Ku-ring-gai […]
Powershop to pay battery owners under new Grid Impact plan. What’s the go?
Electricity retailer Powershop and battery control technology developer Reposit Power have come together to offer a first-of-kind product to battery storage system owners in Australia. Anyone with a (Reposit-equipped) battery […]
Germany’s VARTA enters Australia battery market
German battery storage maker VARTA has become the latest company to enter Australia’s burgeoning battery storage market, attracted by the huge penetration of rooftop solar and the growing shift towards […]
Battery Storage Price Index – February 2018
This month we’ve changed up the style of the graphs that we use for our ‘Are We There Yet?’ Meter, and altered them to focus only on the ‘low’ end […]
Battery storage: Are Australian households about to charge into market?
The combination of economics, a crucial state political battle, a move to local manufacturing, and soaring grid prices, could finally deliver Australia’s much forecast boom in residential battery storage. According […]
Germany’s sonnen to manufacture solar batteries in Adelaide
Leading German battery storage company sonnen has announced plans to establish a battery manufacturing plant in Adelaide, creating more than 400 jobs. Sonnen, which launched its “sonnet-flat” residential battery storage […]
Backup power with home solar battery storage: What are your options?
NOTE: This article has been updated with a June 2019 article, click here to see! Home battery storage is becoming increasingly popular in Australia, and one of the most in-demand […]
New solution turns forklifts into commercial solar batteries
RossiniEnergy has developed a device that transforms underused forklifts into energy storage systems for businesses. The solution, called Nuvolino, is already in commercial operation in Italy and France – and […]
Two improvements to our Home Solar & Battery Calculator
Following a major revamp of our Solar & Battery Storage Sizing & Payback Estimator midway through last year, we’ve just made a couple more significant improvements based on feedback from users. […]
Battery Storage Price Index – January 2018
After some significant additions to our battery pricing database (including some ‘recommended retail price’ (RRP) data from manufacturers), average ‘full’ battery system prices (i.e. including inverter) fell to about $1,580 […]
What are the best cities for home solar battery storage? (January 2018 update)
Having just published an article on the state of Australia’s battery storage market at the beginning of 2018 (recently updated), we decided we would endeavour to shed a bit more light […]
A look back at 2017: A year that smashed multiple Aussie solar records
2017 has been a year of records for Australian solar power, and the year’s not even quite finished yet. Here are some of the highlights of the 10 records that […]
Happiness is an electricity bill? A coda to 2017 (Solartopia #9)
I never thought I’d find myself chasing up with my electricity company to ask for an electricity bill, but two weeks ago that’s exactly what I was doing. I’d been […]