rooftop solar

With its abundance of metal rooftops and an increasing appetite for quality components and installations, the Australian rooftop solar segment is primed for the adoption of “direct- attach” mounting systems. U.S.-based S-5! believes this is the case and is working with installers and EPCs to increase awareness of its PVKIT 2.0 – which it claims allows for faster and less complicated installations.

The Northern Territory Government stated openly that it would fund its new household and business battery scheme by massively reducing the feed-in tariff paid to new rooftop generators. The immediate result seems to have been an instant retreat from rooftop solar installation that threatens NT solar businesses.

Australian researchers have compiled data from 173 studies which examined homeowner behavior when buying rooftop PV and identified 333 predictors related to the attitude, knowledge, tendency, awareness, willingness and intent of householders.

Despite a massive drop in renewable energy investment seen last year, 2020 promises to bring both good and bad news for the Australian solar sector. While network conditions will continue to deteriorate, the low-carbon policy will become more supportive but also more chaotic.

Renown think-tank Beyond Zero Emissions has published a new report looking directly at the near-future for fossil-fuel industry dependent towns and communities like Collie in WA. The report suggests that Collie has great hope for renewal, a hope founding on the state’s rapid transition to renewable energies.

The final tally was 2.13 GW of sub-100kW systems registered in 2019 following a record installation surge in December, according to solar analyst SunWiz. This represents a jump of a 35% year-on-year and puts the grand total at 10 GW.

The City of Brimbank continues to intensify its high penetration of rooftop solar PV with the addition of a new array and accompanying electric vehicle charging station atop a multi-deck in the solar-friendly suburb of Sunshine.

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) is set to aid small businesses become more sustainable with the announcement of expanded funding for the Sustainable Australia Fund (SAF). The funding will help to provide more access to renewable energies and other low-cost energy-efficient upgrades for local businesses.

A study from Sweden seeks to consider how PV could be sympathetically installed on historic buildings. The researchers propose a target-based approach for assessing panel visibility.

Although the International Energy Agency’s latest renewables report forecasts impressive solar growth there is still a nagging feeling it has produced conservative estimates and the emphasis on sharing costs with grid operators is predictable.