Hi everyone,
 
Welcome to another issue of the Solar Quotes weekly newsletter - please feel free to forward it on to others.
 
There was some great news for solar supporters over the weekend, with figures published putting the number of solar rooftops in Australia at more than 2 million. It's a particularly impressive figure when you consider just 10 years ago the national tally of grid connected systems was 22,187.
 
Solar batteries are of course the Next Big Thing and federal Labor has tapped into this with its recent pledge to give 100,000 households $2,000 each towards the cost of energy storage. But are there better ways to get bills and emissions down? Yep - find out why.
 
In related news, Queensland's solar and storage subsidy is being snapped up at a quick pace. Even with the recent addition of another thousand subsidy packages, indications are those won't last long.
 
For those of you with solar systems already installed, you might be interested in Solcast - a super handy, free, quick and accurate way to check what your solar panels should have produced in the last 7 days. Learn how to use Solcast here in a guest article by Solcast CTO, Dr. Nick Engerer.
 
More on these stories and other news below!
 
Don't forget you can get 3 solar quotes from trusted solar installers at our website - and everyone can also stay in touch with what's happening on SQ via our Facebook page.
 
Regards,

SQ VIEWS

Is Labor’s $2,000 Battery Subsidy A Waste Of Money?
Labor have promised to give 100,000 solar households $2,000 each towards the cost of a home solar battery. But are there better ways to get bills and emissions down?
 
How To Use Solcast To Check If Your Solar Panels Are Performing Well
The free Solcast tool accurately and quickly checks how much energy your solar panels should have produced in the last week - see how yours are performing.

THE GOOD SOLAR GUIDE - READ ONLINE FREE!

7 Steps To Tiny Bills For Australian Homeowners - An Amazon Best-Seller!

The Good Solar Guide, authored by SolarQuotes founder Finn Peacock, demystifies the solar buying process in Australia; showing you how many panels you need, which panel brands to buy, which to avoid, and how to find a great installer.

The seven-step process revealed in this book, developed over 10 years in the industry, walks you through understanding, evaluating, buying, installing and using solar to deliver on its promise of tiny electricity bills. Order the book (available in paperback or Kindle) or read the whole book online free! Yes, for free. Crazy eh?

SOLAR NEWS

Noosa Council Slashing Emissions And Electricity Costs With Solar
Queensland’s Noosa Council says it has installed 252 kilowatts of on-site solar power capacity across six of its facilities in the past five months. 

Thinning The Herd : Solar Panels Struck From CEC Approved List
In one fell swoop, thousands of solar panel models disappeared from the Clean Energy Council’s approved solar panels list a few days ago.

Australian Rooftop Solar Power System Installations Top 2 Million
Latest estimates put the number of rooftop solar power systems installed across Australia at more than 2,001,130 – with approximately 20.3% of all Australian homes now boasting solar panels. 

Climate Action Protest Students Not Done Yet
15,000 Australian students went on strike from school in each capital city and more than 20 regional centres across Australia recently. There’s more action to come, but this time outside of school hours.

Queensland Solar And Battery Subsidy To Be Exhausted Soon
1,000 extra subsidy packages have been added to the Queensland Government’s solar and storage scheme – but it’s likely they won’t last long. 

City of Ryde Eyeing 60% Renewables By 2030
In a meeting last Tuesday, Sydney’s City of Ryde gave the nod to investigating the potential of substantially amping up its use of renewable energy sources. 

Opal Aged Care’s Solar Power Rollout
Opal Aged Care is installing more than 10,600 solar panels at 54 of its properties across New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland as part of a broader energy efficiency program. 

Amendments To Australia’s Renewable Energy Regulations Proposed
When is a small-scale solar power system a large-scale system? The Department of Environment And Energy wants to clarify this through changes to renewable energy regulations. 

WA’s Government Promises Renewables From Fracking Cash
Western Australia’s McGowan Government has announced it has lifted a moratorium on fracking, but assures everyone things will be A-OK and has dangled a renewable energy carrot. 

InSight’s Solar Panels Operational
Things are looking good for NASA’s InSight lander – its solar panels were successfully deployed just hours after landing on Mars. 
 
Read more from the blog

FRESH IS BEST

If you're yet to get 3 obligation-free solar quotes from our network of trusted installers, or perhaps you didn't go ahead on a set of quotes issued previously for whatever reason and still want to install solar, now is a great time to submit for fresh quotes!

SUBMIT YOUR SOLAR REVIEW

If you're an Australian solar power system owner and would like to share a review of your solar panels, inverters or installer with other potential Australian PV buyers to assist them in a purchase decision, SolarQuotes is the place to do it!
 
Please note in the case of solar panel and inverter reviews, the equipment should have been installed for at least one year.
 
Submit a review: Panels | Inverters | Installers 
 
Pick up some tips on writing a review.

USEFUL SOLAR INFO

NEW! Solar Panel Comparison Table
Easily compare solar panels, specifications and their prices side-by-side in our new solar panel comparison table.
 
Solar Power Forecast Tool
We developed this handy tool in collaboration with WeatherZone to help you forecast your solar system's output up to 48 hours ahead. 

Important Mistakes To Avoid In Buying Solar 
Don't become a lost sheep in a field of wolves. Learn about the top 7 mistakes people make when buying solar power systems.



13 Questions To Ask A Solar Company
Before you sign on the dotted line, ensure you have satisfactory answers to these important questions.

Solar Battery Storage Explained
How to buy a solar system with battery storage. Do you need backup functionality or not? How much should you pay, and what batteries are safe and reliable?
 
Compare Solar Feed In Tariffs 
Make sure you are getting a good solar feed in tariff - try this easy to use comparison tool

Solar Battery Comparison Table
Discover battery prices and specifications of dozens of energy storage solutions with our solar battery storage comparison table.