What is the best inverter in Australia to use in your solar power system? There are many factors and options to consider. This article attempts to give our own opinion […]
Category: Solar Panel Inverters
Solar Choice blog articles about inverters for solar power systems.
Fronius Battery: An Independent Review by Solar Choice
Note: Solar Choice is not a solar installer and has no financial or other incentives to promote any product brand over another. Fronius Background – Company History Fronius is one […]
Solar Inverter Sizing to Improve Solar Panel Efficiency
The efficiency of the inverter drives the efficiency of a solar panel system. Inverters change the Direct Current (DC) from solar panels into Alternating Current (AC), which is what we […]
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 […]
Solar Inverter Comparison: Overview, Types & Brands
What is an Inverter? The solar panel inverter is what turns the solar energy generated by solar panels into the useable electricity that powers households. They are an essential component […]
ABB to exit solar inverter business
ABB have announced yesterday (9th July) that they have signed an agreement to sell their Solar Inverter business to FIMER S.p.A. for an undisclosed amount. ABB’s solar inverter business has […]
Hybrid & ‘battery-ready’ solar systems: What’s the go?
As more and more Australian households investigate (and install) solar battery storage, the more we get questions about battery-ready or hybrid solar & battery storage systems. What is a hybrid/battery-ready […]
Residential Solar PV Price Index – June 2018
Average residential solar system prices have dipped down to $1.32 per watt ($/W) this month on the back of several factors, including changes to the composition of the Solar Choice […]
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 […]
Residential Solar PV Price Index – November 2017
We’ve introduced some major improvements to this month’s Solar PV Price Index. Namely: We’ve added 7kW solar systems to all tables We’ve included in new tables & data for ‘premium’ […]
Microinverters: Are they right for your solar system?
As the name suggests, microinverters are small inverters for use in solar PV systems, usually installed at a ratio of one per solar panel. By contrast, most solar PV systems in […]
Alternative monitoring solution for Enecsys owners who are left in the dark
With the end of microinverter manufacturer Enecsys in early 2015, so ended the company’s online monitoring platform, leaving Enecsys system owners without any way to monitor their system’s output data. Two years […]
Should you oversize Solar Panels to your Inverter? Pros and Cons explained
After numerous questions about the relationship between solar panel power and inverter power, I decided to put together this blog post. Now logically, if you have (say) 3,000 Watts of solar […]
JinkoSolar introduces modules with ‘next generation’ power optimisation
Panel manufacturer JinkoSolar claims to have solved the issue of partial shading of solar panels with its new line of JinkoMX modules, which use an advanced power optimisation technology called […]
GoodWe inverters in Australia
GoodWe is a manufacturer of inverters whose products are used in residential and commercial solar PV systems Australia-wide. This article provides an overview of the company’s Australian product catalogue – […]
Why Australia is fertile ground for home battery storage (Q&A with Enphase cofounder Raghu Belur – Part 3)
Solar Choice: Enphase is known mainly for its world-leading microinverters. What spurred the company to get involved in the energy storage market, and why did it choose Australia as the […]
Home solar in Australia: To grid or not to grid? (Q&A with Enphase cofounder Raghu Belur – Part 2)
Solar Choice: Many Australian households talk about ‘going off-grid’. Could the Enphase system help them achieve this goal? What are your thoughts on this desire to cut ties with utilities […]
The evolving role of the solar home on the electricity grid (Interview with Enphase cofounder Raghu Belur – Part 1)
I had the opportunity to catch up with Enphase Energy co-founder Raghu Belur at Australian Utility Week following a panel discussion about distributed renewable energy integration in which he took […]
SMA’s residential energy storage solutions in Australia
SMA is one of the largest inverter manufacturers in the world and have more inverters installed in Australia than any other brand. The company currently offers two energy storage solutions […]
Sunvertec: An Aussie-made ‘distributed inverter’ designed to rival microinverters & string inverters alike
A Perth-based engineering startup is looking to change the way that Australia – and the world – looks at solar inverters. Sunvertec, which announced itself to the world at the […]
AC Solar Warehouse: Specialists in next-generation solar
Formed in 2011, AC Solar Warehouse is a specialist wholesaler of AC solar products and a champion of the use of microinverters and microinverter-integrated solar modules in Australia. The company […]
BenQ Solar panels in Australia
BenQ Solar is a division of Taiwan’s AU Optronics, one of the world’s leading makers of LCD displays. The company manufactures monocrystalline, polycrystalline & back-contact solar panels for residential, commercial and […]
Fronius offering 10 year warranty on inverters until end of 2014
Fronius Australia is offering free extended warranties on its inverters until the end of the year, according to a recent press release from the company. Those who have a solar […]
RESA’s VoltLogic gets grid connection approval for most of NSW
Renewable energy technology developer Renewable Energy Solutions Australia (RESA) has received approval for its VoltLogic power management device to connect to the grid in sections of NSW where power export […]
Market for module-level power electronics set to grow five-fold in 2017
Greentech Media Research (GTM) has recently released a report that predicts the module-level power electronics (MLPE) market to grow five-fold by 2017, singling out 2014 to be the landmark year […]
Solar modules set to get smarter in 2014
While no one argues that investing in PV modules isn’t a smart move today, it won’t be long before we start asking if our modules are just as smart – […]
SolaX Power hybrid energy storage systems and batteries
SolaX Power, a subsidiary of the Suntellite Group, is a developer and manufacturer of energy management & energy storage technologies. The company offers an array of products for residential, commercial […]
Latronic Sunpower: Australian-made grid-connect and stand-alone inverters
Latronic Sunpower is a Queensland, Australia-based inverter manufacturer that operates globally. The company has been in business for over 27 years. The company makes inverters for residential, commercial and industrial […]
Magellan Power’s ‘smoothing’ devices for grid-connect solar
When northwestern WA‘s electricity utility Horizon mandated that solar photovoltaic (PV) systems must regulate their power output, one of the first companies with the capacity to offer a viable technological […]
VoltLogic Power Equaliser: Managing solar, wind, battery power, and more
VoltLogic is a ‘4 quadrant’ energy management device developed and manufactured by Renewable Energy Solutions Australia Holdings Ltd. Going far beyond the simple function of an inverter in a small-scale […]
ReneSola solar panels (& other products) in Australia
Renesola is one of the largest solar panel manufacturers in the world, as well as one of the leading suppliers to Australia. The company produces a range of affordable ‘quasi-monocrystalline’, […]