Thursday 8th September, 2016
Anyone with a solar PV system will tell you, you can save money by timing your power consumption for the middle of the day, when your panels are most productive. Solar self-consumption allows you to take the electricity that your PV system has just produced and use it to power appliances in your home, like a dishwasher.
This approach is fine if you are at home during the day, but what if the...
Monday 5th September, 2016
Choosing the right battery for your solar power system
As an increasing number of Australian households are embracing solar power, we now have greater access to new and more efficient battery storage technology. But how do you work out which one best suits your needs? This guide offers an overview of past, present and future battery technologies, including our recommendations based on years of...
Tuesday 30th August, 2016
A number of DC Isolator switches have been recalled by the Australian Government and if you’ve installed solar power it’s well worth checking your system is not affected.
The DC Isolator switch is an essential solar power system component. It’s responsible for stopping voltage in times when your system needs to be worked on, as well as in emergencies or during blackouts....
Friday 19th August, 2016
The Australian Government’s small-scale technology (STC) certificates scheme will begin phasing out from January 1, 2017.
Though it’s not technically referred to as a ‘solar rebate’ the initiative effectively works like one and so we’ll call it that for the purposes of this article. Introduced in 2011 as part of the Australian Renewable Energy Target (RET), the...
Thursday 11th August, 2016
The New South Wales Solar Bonus Scheme is a solar feed in tariff program paying homeowners either 20 or 60 cents per kilowatt hour for the power generated by their solar energy system.
The scheme, which was designed to encourage solar power installation, closed to new participants in 2011 and applies to over 140,000 residents in NSW.
Set to finish by the end of 2016, the Solar Bonus Scheme...
Tuesday 2nd August, 2016
Solar panels although simple they are far from boring. It’s only until you learn how solar panels work that you truly appreciate how clever they are.
So, how do solar panels work?
The first thing to know is that panels rely on light from the sun, not heat. In fact, most solar panels become less efficient in extremely hot conditions.
Solar panels convert sunlight into DC electricity. When photons...
Thursday 28th July, 2016
Plenty of customers shopping for solar panels go through hours of research and comparison to identify a good panel and inverter and then mistakenly assume that all they need to do is find an installer for the lowest price.
However, choosing good panels and a quality inverter is only the first step towards a smooth solar power experience.
In a recent study by Choice on solar power...
Wednesday 20th July, 2016
Introducing SolarWorld The Only Bloomberg (Q1 2016) Tier one German Made Solar Panel Available In Australia
“The Best Solar Power System Is Always The Best Investment” states the brochure produced by SolarWorld – sellers of high-tech solar power solutions based in Germany, and here at Solargain we couldn’t agree more.
It’s a big claim, but one that they can definitely back up.
Recently, one...
Thursday 14th July, 2016
How To Monitor Your Solar Inverter
So you’ve installed a solar power system. Now all you have to do is sit back and relax for the next few decades whilst it takes care of all the hard work. Right?
Sort of.
If you’ve installed a good quality system, there’s no reason why it won’t run smoothly and efficiently for many years. But nevertheless, switching to solar isn’t a ‘set and forget’ exercise...
Wednesday 29th June, 2016
There aren’t many purchases you can make that are simultaneously practical, self-satisfying and destined to save you money.
How to make an investment that will save you money
So rather than using your tax return cash on a bill or other expense, why not use it to make an investment that will save you money by installing solar power instead?
A lot of us view tax return money as a bonus – money...