If you’re shopping around for solar panels or battery storage for your home, you’re undoubtedly come across the terms ‘kilowatt’ (abbreviated as kW) and kilowatt-hour (kWh). These terms might be […]
Category: Useful Solar System Tools and Resources
Solar Choice blog articles about tools that are useful in making decisions about solar power system size, positioning, and components
Expanding an existing solar system with more panels and/or batteries? Know your options
There are nearly 2 million Australian households with solar panels installed on their roofs. Many of these households would like to add more solar and/or batteries to their systems, but […]
Solar Battery Size Calculator: What size battery do I need?
What size solar panel array do you need for your home? And if you’re considering battery storage, what solar battery size would be most appropriate? This article includes tables that […]
How does maximum power point tracking (MPPT) work?
Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) is a technology approach used in solar PV inverters to optimise power output in less-than-ideal sunlight conditions. Most modern inverters are equipped with at least […]
Create clean drinking water from thin air!
With water scarcity increasing and and quality decreasing the global demand for clean drinking water is expected to exceed supply by 40% in just eight years, innovative solutions are imperative. […]
Tesla Powerwall 2: A complete 2021 Buyers Guide
The world-famous Elon Musk, CEO Tesla, announced an entry to the energy storage market in 2015 with the launch of the home battery product, the Tesla Powerwall. Perhaps more famous […]
Is home solar battery storage worth it? (2020 Update)
Since 2015 Australians have been talking about home battery storage being on the cusp of financial viability. Are home batteries worth the investment in 2020? We’ve crunched the number for […]
Solar Analytics Monitoring – A complete review
[This article was originally published in May 2018] I’ve had Solar Analytics installed on my home now for about 3 months. Since that time I’ve referred to and shared screenshots […]
Is home solar battery storage worth it? (updated 2019)
This article has since been updated for 2019. Click here to see the updated version. Since 2015 Australians have been talking about home battery storage being on the cusp of […]
9 things you should know if you’re considering home battery-storage
For several years now, home solar battery storage has been a hot topic in Australia, and 2019 looks set to be the best year yet for batteries. If you’re actively […]
Expanding an existing solar system with more panels and/or batteries? Know your options
There are nearly 2 million Australian households with solar panels installed on their roofs. Many of these households would like to add more solar and/or batteries to their systems, but […]
Time of use vs flat rate electricity tariffs with solar & batteries
If you’re connected to the grid and own your home, you pay for electricity. In most places, in Australia, there are basically two types of tariffs: Flat rate tariffs (aka ‘peak […]
Solar system size limits: How much does your local network allow?
What’s the upper limit to the amount of solar panel capacity that you can put on your roof? This is actually a multi-layered question that involves your roof area, your […]
Solar for Schools
Solar Choice is experienced in School Projects “Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school” Albert Einstein Schools possess Australia’s next generation of bright […]
Battery Storage Price Index – August 2018
Last month we posted an article informing our readers that due to stabilisation of battery and solar pricing in recent times, we will now be publishing quarterly indexes as opposed […]
Should you get Victoria’s time-varying solar feed-in tariff? (Analysis & calculator)
The Victorian government announced that it would be introducing a time-varying solar feed-in tariff (TV FiT) earlier this year, and the tariff came into effect on the first of July. […]
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 […]
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 […]
CHOICE launches energy savings service: Should you sign up?
Consumer advocacy researchers at CHOICE have launched a service which they claim will help to ensure that customers never pay more than they have to for electricity. The program, called […]
Powershop, Diamond & Energy Locals top 2018 Green Electricity Guide
Who is the greenest electricity retailer of them all – and how do you know? Fortunately, every year the Total Environment Centre commissions a report on the topic, the results […]
Solar-powered lawn care (Solartopia #13)
And here’s a quick blog article to talk about a cool thing you can do with a solar system on your roof: Mow your grass (and trim your edges) with […]
Residential Solar PV Price Index – March 2018
Average solar system prices dipped slightly between February and March 2018 – coming in at about $1.38 per watt as opposed to $1.40/W last month – according to the most […]
Tips for going solar with a fiddly, inner city rooftop
If you take a look at the APVI’s Solar Status Map, a curious thing you’ll notice is that the penetration rates for rooftop solar in Australia’s most densely populated capital […]
Two improvements to our Home Solar & Battery Calculator
Following a major revamp of our Solar & Battery Storage Sizing & Payback Estimator midway through last year, we’ve just made a couple more significant improvements based on feedback from users. […]
What are the best cities for home solar battery storage? (January 2018 update)
Having just published an article on the state of Australia’s battery storage market at the beginning of 2018 (recently updated), we decided we would endeavour to shed a bit more light […]
What’s the current levelised cost of energy (LCOE) for solar in Australia?
Solar is affordable in Australia – possibly more affordable than anywhere else in the world. But as much as sunlight may seem like ‘free energy’, you actually pay for the […]
Residential Solar PV Price Index – December 2017
The average price per watt ($/W) for primary offerings was $1.30 this month – down slightly from November and a new low since we began tracking prices in 2012. The […]
Reduce vs. produce: When to invest in solar and when to invest in energy efficiency projects
If you’re interested in saving money on your electric bill, there are two popular ways to do it. One way is to invest in a solar energy system. The other […]
GreenPower – Is it Worth It?
GreenPower is an attractive option for Australian households who want to support renewable energy production. Is opting for GreenPower a better idea than installing rooftop solar? In this article we […]
The ‘energy awareness factor’ and how it helps households save money
For most of us, for most of our lives, electricity bills and our consumption have both been something of a black box. We know that we get a bill every […]
