February 2016 Blog Archive

A collective sigh of relief has occurred for solar power owners in Western Australia with news of the controversial ‘solar tax’ being ruled out by WA’s Premier, Colin Barnett. Here at Solargain, we’re glad that logic has prevailed. If you hadn’t heard, the proposed tax would have resulted in an additional $800 in grid connection charges for the state’s 175,000+ solar households. The tax was originally raised last December by Lyndon Rowe, chairman of Synergy, based on the idea that annual charges on solar households don’t reflect the actual cost of being connected to the network. Opponents of

Aren’t vegetables just the greatest? Nutritious, natural and oh so delicious – we’re especially fans of the ones grown right here in Australia by our hard working farmers. For these reasons and more, it’s our pleasure to announce our new strategic partnership with AUSVEG, Australia’s peak industry body representing Aussie vegie and potato growers – around 9,000 of them in fact! AUSVEG is committed to ensuring a green and leafy future for their members – and naturally they’ve recognised the opportunity for growers to use renewable energy as a means to cut costs and boost profit. As strategic

There are so many benefits of installing solar panels on public buildings and facilities – yet one simple factor often gets in the way: funding. More and more however, we’re seeing how a little innovative thinking is helping local organisations to overcome this challenge. There’s perhaps no better example of this than Bowls Safety Bay Inc. – a bowling club in the WA suburb of Shoalwater with over 550 members, four synthetic greens and a clubhouse. Like many clubs of this type, the facility demands a lot of electricity to run throughout the day and so overheads are high. Installing a commercial

With the huge uptake of residential solar power here in Australia and around the world, a new phenomenon is emerging in the way electricity is generated and consumed through the grid. And it’s called the ‘Duck Curve’. This strange sounding occurrence is being caused by the shifting energy demands of the population. Basically, during the day we’re relying a lot less on the grid. Plenty of smart Aussies have installed solar panels, meaning they’re creating their own clean electricity. But as the sun goes down (and much of the population returns home from work), a sudden spike in the need for