The French renewables developer Neoen will build Australia’s largest solar farm in QLD’s Western Downs now it has the contract to sell most of the power to the state-owned energy company CleanCo. The Western Downs Green Power Hub will have a capacity of around 470MW, making it the nation’s largest and its first farm to…
Many of us conflate the terms photovoltaic cell and solar panel and they are used interchangeably in conversation a lot. However, the two things, while being part of the same whole, are different. If you’re wondering what the difference is and how to use the terms correctly, then you can find out here. What do…
If you have a home solar battery then you’ll use it to power your appliances after sundown or on days when there’s not much sunlight anyway. For some people having a battery is more about independence and going greener, whereas for others it’s a financial decision. Having a large enough solar array and solar battery…
Australia has been somewhat distracted by lots of updates on giga-factories and Tesla’s electric vehicle news, but hasn’t been paying so much attention to the company’s renewable energy department. This department has, it seems, been busy with setting out its stall for its solar shingles. The news hit Twitter when Tesla mega-fan Tesla Tom announced…
We’re all used to seeing rooftops covered in solar panels, hilltop turbines and even backyard windmills now and there’s no doubt that renewable energy is A Good Thing. Renewable energy, which includes biomass, hydropower and geothermal energy as well as wind and solar, is increasingly a part of our lives, but there are more advantages…
Australian consumers are starting to realise that solar batteries are worth the investment, especially with prices coming down and people wanting more independence from the grid in the wake of regular blackouts and bushfires. A solar battery lets you control and optimise your power production and consumption much more finely, but as it’s not a…
When Buderim-based charity Bloomhill Cancer Care realised in March 2020 that the imminent covid-19 lockdown would hurt its income, it sent a shoutout to the local business community. Halcol Energy was an early responder to this cry for help – to the tune of almost $6,000. Bloomhill Cancer Care was founded in 1997 and has…
Primarily, of course, the price of your solar installation is determined by the size in kiloWatts (kW) that you choose. There are also variations according to season and manufacturer, but in the main prices are fairly consistent and stable. One thing’s for certain, solar panel cost has gone down! Ten or so years ago, you…
If you’re finally about to go solar, you might be looking at the different costs of having an installer coming in to put the panels up and of doing it yourself. You could cut your costs by up to $3,000 by installing your own array, which seems like a brilliant saving, but is it actually…
Your solar inverter transforms the DC electricity generated by your panels into AC power so that your household appliances can use it. Most inverters also monitor your system’s performance and give you feedback. There are lots of different manufacturers of inverters and these makers also have several different models and sizes so that households can…