26th Jul 2021 | Andrew
The ACT sustainable household scheme
The Australian Capital Territory state government has established themselves as forerunners to the solar energy revolution, offering a variety of schemes to help their residents install solar energy technologies. Their latest initiative is the Sustainable Household Scheme, offering interest free loans of $2,000 up to $15,000. Open across a number of technologies, including solar energy systems and solar energy storage units, this scheme is a fantastic way for residents to install a solar energy system. With ACT’s particularly high energy prices, the savings homeowners will enjoy from their
26th Jul 2021 | Andrew
STC Phase Out
The price of STC’s play an important role in determining the deals that a solar retailer is able to offer their customers. Read on to learn more about what they are, and how we, and other solar retailers, calculate them to offer you better prices. What are STCs? The solar industry benefits from a government incentive called the ‘Renewable Energy Target’ (RET). Under the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme, households and businesses with solar power systems up to 100kW, receive Small-Scale Technology Certificates (STCs) for every megawatt hour of renewable energy expected to be generated or
24th Jun 2021 | Andrew
Difference between different kinds of solar panels
When reading through the selling points of different panels you'll see retailers mention that the panels are half-cell or full-cell, as well as if they are polycrystalline or monocrystalline, but often it’s not exactly clear what this means.
15th Jun 2021 | Andrew
Pitfalls
Thinking about going solar? Well, you might have heard something about the pitfalls of solar, the bad companies who burn out in no time, and leave their customers burnt in the process. Every company in the industry claims to offer the very best, and it can be hard to pick out the ones who can back up those claims. Here’s some information to help you choose the best of the bunch and avoid being left high and dry. Customers being left in the dark, is unfortunately something that can happen even to reasonably savvy consumers, due to unethical practices of ‘phoenix’ companies. ‘Phoenix’ companies
27th May 2021 | Andrew
Commbank Green Loan
What is it? Commbank has recently announced that they’ll be making a fantastic green loan available for their customers. We’re over the moon about this, because green loans are a fantastic way for those who might not otherwise be able to access solar to add systems to their home. More than that, thanks to how the loan is set up, we’re able to offer a truly cash flow positive battery package for those taking advantage of it. The Commbank Green Loan is a 0.99% PA loan with a 10-year fixed-rate, no establishment, service or additional payment fees and a minimum loan of $5,000 or a maximum of $20
6th May 2021 | Andrew
Calculating your return on your Solar Investment in 2021
Investing in solar is a big decision. After all, we can admit that solar is no small purchase, though it has become substantially more affordable over the years, and green-loan finance is now available. But when looking at that cost, you also need to consider just how quickly that cost will be returned to you in savings. Since after that point, your solar energy system has paid for itself, and now all the savings it generates is just money in your pocket! It’s much quicker than you might think. To get a basic idea of how much you can save with solar you can use our solar calculator, but today
1st Apr 2021 | Andrew
Product Spotlight - Huawei LUNA Battery
The Huawei LUNA battery Solar energy storage systems are becoming a more and more attractive option to Australians nation-wide as prices continue to fall and more incentives become available. That’s why, today, we wanted to shine a light on the Huawei LUNA, one of the best investments you can make if you’re looking for a top-quality solar battery. Scalable from a compact 5 kWh all the way up to an astonishing 30 kWh, the Huawei LUNA’s modular design makes it a flexible and practical investment, able to be adjusted to your energy needs, whatever they may be. Coming from one of the most trusted
8th Mar 2021 | Andrew
International Women’s Day Celebration
Women play an integral part to our business here at Solargain, and we are proud to celebrate international women’s day with them today. We wouldn’t be where we are now without the amazing women who make up a large part of our business. Over the last week, we’ve conducted interviews with some of the most important women here at Solargain about their time here, and what advice they have for young women in business. Here’s what they had to say. Huia McKenzie - Service Manager How long have you been here at Solargain? I’ve been at SG since early 2017. What has been your proudest moment since you
24th Feb 2021 | Andrew
Australia’s first Large-scale PV recycling facility is stepping up operations
The recycling of PV solar modules is an important concern and one which, with the young age of the Australian solar energy industry, has not really been addressed until quite recently. Solar modules in Australia are expected to have a lifespan of anywhere between 15 and 35 years, and this means that while until now, the numbers of panels needing to be recycled have been relatively low, we can expect a massive influx of retired panels hitting skips soon. But not if Australia’s first large-scale recycling project has anything to say on the matter. Clive Fleming’s Reclaim PV Recycling is aiming
3rd Feb 2021 | Andrew
Bushfire protocols
Here is our guide on what to do with your Solar PV system if you find yourself within or neighbouring a bushfire zone.
28th Jan 2021 | Nedjma.Loucif
5 green ways to go back to school
Summer’s on its way out. At least it is for the kids. The holidays are coming to an end and soon they’ll be back at school, giving every parent across Australia a little bit of peace and quiet. Even if some regions of the nation are still conducting school remotely, they'll at least busy throughout the day with things other than video games, cricket, and making trouble. But with the new conditions people all across the world are getting used to, now’s a great time to make a shift towards more environmentally friendly practices. Here are a few suggestions from the team here at Solargain to make
4th Jan 2021 | Andrew
Australian solar rebate changes 2021
You might have seen a lot of talk in solar energy news recently about the decreasing solar rebate. Yet, it can be difficult to make proper sense of what this all means. After all, calling it a rebate is actually a little bit of a misnomer on its own. While called an Australian Solar Rebate, this, in reality, refers to the number of STCs the installer will receive upon installation of the system, STC meaning Small-scale Technology Certificate. Generally, installers (Solargain included) will deduct the total value of the STCs you will receive automatically as part of our prices, so you don’t