Clean Energy Regulator releases 2014 STC target
Small Scale Technology Certificates (STC’s) are the backbone of the Australian solar market and on Friday 14th of March, the Clean Energy Regulator announced this year’s target. At 18.6 Million STC’s...
View ArticleAll new Australian Solar Forecast and Industry Intelligence reports released
Navigating the ups and downs of the Australian solar industry is not getting any easier. Many of our programs and policies are teetering on a knife edge, the market is changing dramatically and the...
View ArticleRe-inventing the electricity industry with storage
No matter what side of the fence you are on, everyone is agreed that electricity companies will be very different in a few years’ time. In the broader context, change is inevitable of course and we...
View ArticleAustralia’s big fat solar policy failure exposed
Almost five million Australians have benefited from policies that support solar energy. They responded in droves to incentives, installed 3GW of rooftop solar and invested Billions of dollars in an...
View ArticleSolar for $1/W – really?
Can you get a solar system at under the magical $1/W? You betcha. But I am increasingly of the view that systems priced at these levels are either built with smoke and mirrors or there is a magic...
View ArticleAbbot’s systematic destruction of solar support in Australia continues
The rationale behind the Abbott Government’s incessant unravelling of support for solar power is unclear. What is clear is that almost every single day, we find another example of their systematic...
View ArticleRET Review; roadblock or opportunity?
Sometimes I wish I had decided to sell solar systems instead of research and advice. From the outside, it often seem’s like you guys are all making the big money and I’m just fiddling round the edges,...
View ArticleRET Review process simply delays the inevitable
The first in a series of RET Review public consultation meetings was held in Sydney yesterday. The Oxford definition of consultation is “a formal discussion between groups of people before a decision...
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How micro inverters are solving problems
In our previous post on micro inverters, we looked at how they have the potential to change business models. In this second installment we look at how they are solving real world problems for...
View ArticleNever a dull moment – Australian solar PPA’s and industry evolution
Whilst the electricity industry is undergoing a ferocious revolution, the solar industry is demonstrating it has the tenacity to not only fight hard for what it deserves, but to outsmart and outwit as...
View ArticleAustralian energy utilities at the brink?
In case you hadn’t noticed, there is a lot going on in the Australian solar energy industry right now. In fact, I’ll rephrase that – there’s a lot going on in the Australian energy industry right now...
View ArticleGovernment attacks Australian solar SME’s
The Murdoch Press are clearly well aligned with our Government’s transparent desire to destroy the renewable energy industry in Australia. Spouting the alarmist headline “Solar panels are time bombs”,...
View ArticleAustralia’s energy policy cacophony
In a conversation with a policy analyst I know and respect today, I joked that trying to unravel the cacophony of energy policy in Australia requires the use of the mother-of-all-whiteboards. What a...
View ArticleCelebrating Clive’s guts
That would be “check” Tony Abbott and quite possibly “check mate” when it come to the Renewable Energy Target. Clive Palmer’s gut’s has just reached a new and potentially legendary status following his...
View Article” and lo, my electricity bill has reduced thanks to the RET”
Today I received exciting news that my electricity bill will go down and with my “normal punter” hat on, that feels like a relief after years of massive increases. In fairness, the regulators have...
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Australia’s disruptive energy revolution defined
I spend a lot of time trying to succinctly describe what is going on with energy, to people in all walks of life. The reality is, the issues are complex and people on both sides of the argument tend to...
View ArticleThe secret art of solar finance
If you are like me, a practical person with a very mild hint of creative mania then understanding how the ever widening array of solar financing products work can be tricky at best, mildly boring at...
View ArticleAustralian energy utilities attack on solar revealed
Ironically, I decided to start writing this whilst I was on hold (for the second time in the last 30 minutes) with one of Australia’s big three dirty utilities. So far I have been transferred four...
View ArticleBrace yourself for Solargeddon
OK, here’s the bad news. Despite all our efforts, despite the jobs losses, despite the facts, despite the undeniable climate logic, tragically now I fear that Solargeddon is a big step closer. As an...
View ArticleMy letter to Senator Canavan on “Dodgy sums on renewables don’t add up”
Dear Senator Canavan, Thanks for the opportunity to debate the merit of the RET with you. I don’t expect to change your mind and appreciate you are a busy person but I hope you might take the time to...
View Article“I’m not against solar, but….”
When someone calls you and says “Could you please drop everything tomorrow and come to Canberra to help our team explain the benefits of solar and the RET to some politicians?”, you just book a ticket,...
View ArticleThe RET Review farce calls for a public enquiry
The RET Review has degraded into a farcical charade. I am hereby calling on leading politicians to immediately Dismiss the RET Review and call for a Public Enquiry into the RET Review process. I have...
View ArticleIf you have solar, if you want solar Save Solar.
Save Solar Campaign 30s TV Ad from Solar Council on Vimeo. Post expires at 4:05pm on Tuesday August 18th, 2015
View ArticleHow the electricity industry is blocking solar in Australia (Part 1)
The “green rhetoric” from electricity utilities has slowed in recent years with most utility web site’s telling you how solar is great and they can offer a solution, but only if you really want it. One...
View ArticleHow the electricity industry is blocking solar in Australia (Part 2)
In Part 1 of our story on how utilities are subtly but actively engaged in slowing the uptake of solar, we listed just four of the issues we have found around the country. We’ve been back on the phone,...
View ArticleA message, to you, util-ity
Here’s a test. I want to change to a decent, customer-centric, forward thinking and innovative electricity and gas utility provider. I wonder if one actually exists in Australia? A favourite song from...
View ArticleAustralian Government clouded by chronic confirmation bias
Maurice Newman is the Chairman of the Prime Minister’s Business Advisory Committee. One would logically assume therefore that he has the ear of the big man, and a host of other influential business...
View ArticleWill new emission targets from China & US change the game?
I usually leave emissions reductions commentary to others, but I can’t help wondering if we have just experienced a catalyst event. Yesterday China and the US announced new targets for emissions...
View ArticleMeet the worlds coolest solar geeks
Like many of you, I’m a practical guy, a tinkerer and a bit of a dreamer. I know a fair bit about a lot of things but being honest, I really admire the dedication and persistence of scientists who...
View ArticleElectricity industry desperation is palpable
I just love it when the electricity industry goes on the attack. It tells me that the great energy transition is making progress. In the last 24 hours, we have seen no less than three separate reports...
View ArticleUpdate from Canberra on the RET
Having just come back from another trip to Canberra to meet with a number of MP’s, I thought I’d offer my take on what we did and where we are up to on the RET issue. Team Solar The visit was organised...
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2014; the Australian solar market review
Another year is almost over and to celebrate we thought a review of the big changes and major events that shaped our solar year would be a great way to close out before we take a break for Christmas....
View Article2015 predictions; the year we wake up?
Welcome to 2015. Like all of you I trust, I had a great break with family and friends lapping up the wonders of the awesome Australian coastline. To kick off the year we would like to share some...
View ArticleWhy Deutsche Bank’s solar projections don’t fit Australia
I read with great interest that Deutsche Bank is projecting a potential reduction in solar costs of around 40% in the next two years. I’m excited to hear about this and don’t want to rain on anyone...
View ArticleHere’s how the large scale RET can be easily met
The next time you talk to a politician or a journalist like Judith Sloan and they say “we need to scrap the RET is because the large scale target can’t be met and that will drive electricity prices up”...
View ArticleSomething astounding just happened in the solar energy world
Wow. You probably already read the Hawaiian announcement last week about micro inverter manufacturer Enphase. It alluded to a big thing but I couldn’t quite work out what had happened so I called some...
View ArticleWinding down the long electric road to commercial solar
Everyone in the Australian solar industry can smell the growth in commercial solar. The market has been experiencing a slow but steady rise which is much needed given the flattish residential solar...
View ArticleQueensland utilities extend an olive branch to solar innovators
Whilst I often call a spade a spade and generally suffer from immense frustration with utility attitudes to solar, I have to give credit where credit is due. The next time you bump into the CEO’s of...
View ArticleWhat do Origin Energy half yearly results tell us?
Origin Energy released their half yearly results today and there are some interesting facts within the presentation pack. I’ll leave financial analysts and shareholders to comment on the statutory loss...
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What happens when a solar eclipse takes 30GW of solar off-line?
The world is about to experience a fascinating experiment, when a solar eclipse hits Europe on March 20th 2015. The managers of Europe’s power networks are well aware and I stumbled across a...
View ArticleWhy Deutsche Bank’s solar projections don’t fit Australia
I read with great interest that Deutsche Bank is projecting a potential reduction in solar costs of around 40% in the next two years. I’m excited to hear about this and don’t want to rain on anyone...
View ArticleWhat do solar anti-dumping tariffs mean for Australia?
A little over a year ago, Australia’s only PV module manufacturer initiated an Anti-Dumping claim over the importation of Chinese PV products. In the simplest of terms, the claim is based on the...
View ArticleDear PM – I’ve written an Energy Prosperity Future Mega Super Plan for you
Dear Prime Minister Abbott OK I if call you Tony? Tony, mate, I was thinking about you this morning as I read the paper and since its been a while since I’ve written to you, I thought I’d drop you a...
View ArticleSolar2015 conference –“Australia, ground Zero for storage”
The annual Solar2015 conference is done and dusted for another year. This year the event successfully choreographed three events into one and everyone I spoke to loved it. I read some interesting...
View ArticleSA Power Network’s declares war on solar owners
Wow, I haven’t been this angry for ages. Tonight’s announcement by the ABC that SA Power Networks has applied to the Australian Energy Regulator to discriminate directly and specifically against one...
View ArticleThe Greatest Debacle in Solar PV: Australia’s Rooftop DC Isolator Fires
The Australian solar PV market is on fire. Generous subsidies and support mechanisms have produced almost 2 million solar PV installations across the country, placing Australia among the leaders in...
View ArticleDear Prime Minister Tony Abbott – a word of advice
Dear Prime Minister (Tone is ok, right?) I’ve written a few times before on the issue of the RET and solar and other stuff and it’s clearly that time again. Tone, mate, yesterday I was on a call to a...
View ArticleAustralia’s Renewable Energy Target –“We’re back baby”
Thank goodness that’s over. Since almost the day our current Government came to power, we have undergone a torturous, needless and spurious inquisition into the Renewable Energy Target. Yes, we look...
View ArticleBREAKING; Australian Government to fund Perpetual Motion technologies
Over the weekend, details emerged of a Government issued directive to the Clean Energy Finance Corporation. In a nutshell, they have universally re-classified what “Clean Energy” actually means and...
View ArticleThe last word; my final blog post for SolarBusinessServices
Since founding SolarBusinessServices almost seven years ago, I have learned a hell of a lot. One thing I have learned is that change is not only inevitable, it’s absolutely necessary. Businesses can’t...
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