In 2023, Josh Mylne and his family reached a milestone many aspire to: an all-electric lifestyle. Their energy bills, once soaring over $5,500, have been slashed to just $612 for the entire year, thats for both home and transport. Josh now spends only 11% of his pre-electrification yearly bills, and a mere 10% compared to the average West Australian household’s energy + fuel costs.
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The Net Zero Australia Report came out on Friday, and I gotta tell ya, it’s a doozy!  It’s so enormous the report’s summary report is 95 pages.  It would take me a month of Sundays to get through the whole thing, but I have exactly one Sunday, so I’ll quickly say what it’s about and describe how you’re likely to see its results abused online and in the media. [Read more…]

The difference between kW (kilowatts) and kWh (kilowatt-hours) is one of the most misunderstood, and hence, widely discussed topics in the solar industry. However, energy literacy is not just a matter of semantics, but also economics. [Read more…]

Investing in a residential home battery and solar system is generally considered feasible only if the payback falls within the battery warranty period – typically 10 years. According to this bloke, that’s easily doable. [Read more…]

If you’ve been paying attention, you’ve probably heard about a recent breakthrough in nuclear fusion. But if you missed it because you were distracted by Elon Musk’s latest buffoonery, you’re forgiven. [Read more…]

Inflation is back, and the cost of living is rising. While not as bad as headlines may claim, we’ll end up a lot poorer if inflation starts to beat wage growth consistently. [Read more…]

I’m So Lonely!  Will Solar Panels Fill The Aching Void In My Heart?  And Do I Have To Pay Them Folding Money?

If you ask me,

“Hey Ronald, should I get solar power?”

My answer will be, [Read more…]

If you want Australian made solar panels, I recommend Tindo Solar.  They have a track record of quality panel production nearly a decade long.  But you’ll pay a premium for Australian made.  

If you’re happy to pay extra, this isn’t a problem.  But if you choose cheaper, imported panels are you harming our economy by not buying an Australian-made product? [Read more…]

The best way to heat your home is with a reverse cycle air conditioner.  This is true whether your goal is to save money or save the planet.  In this article, I’ll explain no matter how crap your air conditioner is, you’re likely to be financially better off using it for heat instead of gas. [Read more…]

Ninety-eight percent of the world’s solar cells are made from silicon.  This is thanks to its suitability as a PV material and its low cost compared to alternatives.  While the price of solar silicon has its ups and downs, the overall trend has been downwards.  It reached a record low in June 2020.  After taking inflation into account, it was around one-thirteenth of its 2007 price. 

But the record low didn’t last, and over the past 12 months it has gone from under $7 US per kilogram to over $28 US.  In relative terms, this has been the largest solar silicon price increase in history.    [Read more…]