Industry urges consumers to do due diligence as Victoria’s Solar Homes scheme reopens
With the comeback of the Victorian government’s first-in best-dressed Solar Homes program, consumers are urged to do their due diligence as they rush to apply for popular rebates. If incorrectly installed, batteries are a serious safety risk, industry body Future Energy Skills underlines.
WA’s novel solar lease popular with homebuyers at The Amble Estate
A housing development in Perth’s northern suburb Girrawheen is the first of its kind for Western Australia to provide a solar system with every home. Launched last year by provider Infinite Energy, the solar lease has proved to be a winner for homebuyers, resulting in a 40% saving on daytime power costs.
Victoria’s Solar Homes program returns with a bang
The first-in best-dressed Solar Homes program kicked off on Monday, with a half of solar rebates available in July snapped in the first day. The revamped scheme will be accompanied with a more stringent auditing program and other measures to optimize the rollout following difficulties that have plagued round one.
Under new asset management — Australia’s utility-scale solar farms
Year two of Australia’s utility-scale solar boom and the first wave of defects liability periods is rolling to an end, providing new opportunities for long-term maintenance and optimisation of plant performance. This week the Smart Energy Council and SolarPlaza raised a conference in the name of Solar Asset Management, to help address risks and responsibilities for these and future solar farming.
Risen Energy’s Yarranlea Solar Farm nearing completion
Chinese PV module maker Risen Energy has announced that it is advancing rapidly towards the completion of its 121 MW Yarranlea Solar Farm in Queensland, with construction scheduled to conclude as early as October 2019.
First tenders awarded in $5 million Rooftop Solar Schools program
As part of its plans to transition to 50% renewable energy by 2030, the Northern Territory government is moving forward with its solar schools program with tenders awarded for installation at five schools.
Energy sector gets first open-source, tailor-made blockchain
A public enterprise grade energy blockchain has powered up with the promise to accelerate a low-carbon, distributed electricity future. For the first time, energy sector companies are hosting validator nodes on a decentralized network as they seek to adapt to a more digitalized and decentralized energy system.
Solar Cutters build a community to slash poor quality PV installations, components
Poor quality installations and components plagued the state-based FIT era of Australian solar. Unscrupulous ‘phoenix’ retailers remain a problem today. Solar Cutters directors, founders and good friends, Kosta Bourandanis and Jack Long decided to take the problem into their own hands, in a pretty unique way.
Adelaide announces incentives for shared solar, V2G, demand response
The City of Adelaide is going big on technology for low-carbon living. It has announced a new round of incentives for solar, bidirectional EV charging infrastructure, energy storage and controlled load under its Sustainability Incentives Scheme.
Queensland government to convene urgent solar industry roundtable
After a Court of Appeal dismissed the government’s application to enforce regulation requiring licensed electrical workers to mount and fix unplugged solar panels, the Queensland government has called for an urgent industry roundtable to discuss safety in large-scale solar farms.
