FEED IN GOLD Over the past two years, feed-in tariffs have risen from 6c to as high as 20c.  Due to this, we highly recommend that all existing customers contact their retailer to review their situation with the aim of obtaining a 15c or higher feed-in tariff. For customers considering batteries, these changes pose some interesting questions.  Why store your power when you can sell it to the grid at nearly 5 times its generated value? It’s also worth noting that homeowners can install up to 10kW per phase and be happily generating 15c/kWh from the grid all day long. CRAP SOLAR IS ON THE RI ..read more

10 YEARS IN BUSINESSEcoelectric was conceived in 2008 and formally registered as a business in April of 2009.  Hence we are celebrating 10 years in business now!  Evolving from a construction contractor interested in carbon and efficiency to an all-around energy specialist has been quite an experience and one that we have gained immense experience from.  Today we are a premium provider offering solutions to high end and or complex problems in both residential and commercial markets.   To celebrate we are offering 5% off any of our installed solar packages until the end of this month. COMMER ..read more

Battery systems have come a long way in the past few years. And Enphase, the world’s leading microinverter manufacturer, is shaking up the market with its innovative, modular AC battery system. For off-grid consumers living in small homes, units and townhouses, there are many benefits of the Enphase AC battery. A Quick History of Battery Systems Winding back to 2012 the only option for a serious battery system was to install some ‘wet cell’ batteries that may last ten years and put up with a tedious maintenance schedule. The sizing of these systems was based on a ‘depth of discharge’ of 40% m ..read more

Its a minefield out there. Companies both large and small have taken the fall due to unethical management, poor product selection, and wild regulatory changes.  How does one compare solar companies and get a valid warranty? Is it a case of ‘3 quotes’ from a trusted blogging site?  What about the biggest company on tv?  Should you go with your local electrical contractor?  Are they all the same? Solar is a fast moving field and carries increasing complexity.  Very few companies can offer it all and most specialize in a type of service delivery or product offering. The Sales Company These are th ..read more

WHATS IN A SOLAR WARRANTY? Confused as to what your solar system warranty covers? Well here are the nitty gritty details often covered in the fine print (or lack thereof) within the solar industry. RULE NUMBER ONE – GET IT IN WRITING If you’re not willing to check the terms and conditions, or read the warranty statement, then factor in the warranty value as zero. At the same time you should deduct up to the value of a new QUALITY inverter (plus a couple of weeks lost production), as it is VERY likely this could fail during the investment period. WHY A WARRANTY? 1 Solar is expensive, and the wh ..read more

Solar Shading Solutions Solar shading is the dirty phrase of the solar industry. There are plenty of people who have been sold a solar system only to find that its output is far less than what was promised. In extreme cases, solar shading can cause your panels to prematurely fail, or even form hot spots and cause a fire. Is it possible to beat shading and boost the output of a solar system? The short answer is no, but we can certainly optimize or increase the output of existing situations with technology that will provide a return on investment. Most importantly, we can stop panel mismatch and ..read more

Today’s technology is incredibly fast paced and increasingly convergent. This movement is intensifying at logarithmic speeds with little thought for issues such as scaling or inter connectivity. Like any period of change, this brings great opportunity accompanied by great risk. Over the past couple of years we have seen several major inverter manufactures begin to foray into what was traditionally known as the automation and controls sector.  This segment of the electrical industry has been traditionally driven by key engineering firms such as ABB, Schneider and Siemons, but is now under going ..read more

Over the past year or so we have seen the energy debate reach frenzied proportions with everyone from the Prime Minister, to your best mate that works in marketing deciding that they know which technology is best for providing energy to this country. The fact is, the generation space is a very fast moving entity made up of different parts spread over incomprehensible distances. The short answer is there is no answer. What works in one location may not work in others. There is certainly no magical ‘base load’ station in the sky, nor is there any easy way of distributing the required base load ..read more

It seems as if a new type of hybrid battery system is hitting the market every day.  These systems are highly technical and their overly simplified specification sheets rarely provide the information required to make an accurate comparison. Advertisements are focusing on big numbers such as peak ratings at 25 degrees and terms such as ‘battery ready’ and ‘cut the cord’ are being brandished with fool-hardy abandon. Prices which really are too good to be true, will see some homeowners losing very serious sums of money through lack of performance, or product failure. In the absence of specific ad ..read more

One of the questions we get asked a lot is what is the most cost effective way of producing hot water and am I better off having solar PV or hot water or both? First of all the question is location and demand specific, as some areas have higher hot water demands than others. For example, if you live in Melbourne you may have under floor heating driven by hot water and therefore have a large demand. However, if you live in Brisbane, Ipswich, or on the Gold Coast, then your hot water requirement is probably quite low. So like anything its site and demand specific. How do we assess the best optio ..read more