Your neighbour had solar panels installed on their roof a year ago and they showed you their energy bill. They’re saving a lot of money on electricity. You’re interested in learning about solar. But where do you start that learning journey?
There are so many solar energy blogs. Which ones should you follow to get the best information that will inform your solar choices?
You’ll find out quickly that the learning curve for solar energy can be steep. When you’re shopping and comparing quotes, you’ll encounter math, science, and engineering information coming at you so quickly, that you won’t understand who to listen to and why.
At Penrith Solar Centre, we want to help you learn about solar so you can help us reach Net Zero by 2050. Transitioning from fossil fuels to clean energy solutions is our best strategy against the rapidly accelerating climate crisis. We need to be educated by reliable sources to make informed decisions.
In that spirit, here are the five best information resources for Australians researching solar energy technology.
- Solar Choice
- SolarQuotes
- Solar Calculator
- M.C. Electrical
- Smart Commercial Solar
By the end of this article, you’ll understand who these solar experts are and why you should trust the information they offer.
Here they are, in no particular order. We did briefly consider alphabetical order as four out of five blogs start with the letter “S.”
Solar Choice
Who are they?
Since 2008, Solar Choice has helped Australian households and businesses to make informed decisions about solar installations.
The website makes money by selling leads to solar installation companies for a price. It helps them remain independent and unbiased.
Specialties
We love Solar Choice because their writers are truly solar experts. They’re engineers and scientists who can write. When we need to double-check or cross-reference the latest news and reviews, we always check in with Solar Choice before anyone else.
Benefits and Drawbacks
The benefit of this blog is also the drawback: it’s written and maintained by solar science and engineering experts. While the information is head and shoulders above some competitors, it’s not always easily digestible for the layman.
They publish often, they write a lot, and it is all thoroughly researched. With a little strategic poking around on their blog, you’ll find everything you need to learn about putting solar up on your roof (or if you wanted to write a dissertation on anything solar-related).
SolarQuotes
Who are they?
SolarQuotes was founded in 2009 by Finn Peacock, an engineer with a passion for solar technology. His blog followed four years later.
SolarQuotes has a huge web presence, providing quotes to over 700,000 Australians since 2009.
The website makes money by selling leads to solar installation companies for a price. It helps them remain independent and unbiased.
Specialties
Getting quotes for a solar system can be challenging because every customer has unique energy needs and goals. The SolarQuotes Tools page is truly helpful for anyone looking to figure out what those unique energy needs and goals are.
There are calculators to help you understand the value of your solar investment, a postcode search box to help you find services in your area, an Australian Solar Price Index for tracking the cost of solar installations over time, and a lot of other tools that will make sense once you start to explore them.
Fortunately, each tool comes with instructions for how to use it and explains why it’s important.
Benefits and Drawbacks
SolarQuotes has some wonderful resources geared to educate potential customers on their solar journey.
The drawback of so much helpful information is that it could overwhelm you. Their blog is huge. It has kept pace with all the rapid developments in the solar industry for a while now.
Fortunately, they have a clear pathway for newbies. Click on the Start Here text in the main menu and follow the prompts.
Solar Calculator
Who are they?
Solar Calculator provides the most comprehensive free, online solar calculator tool in Australia. Many solar industry experts use this website because of the detail in their calculator tool. No other solar calculator offers this much detail.
The website makes money by selling leads to solar installation companies for a price. It helps them remain independent and unbiased.
Specialties
Like all solar calculators, you enter your information, and it estimates your needs before connecting you to an installer (like us).
Where Solar Calculator is different is in how specific it can get in its estimates. You might want to have an energy bill handy when filling it out.
Benefits and Drawbacks
Of course, a detailed calculator is wonderful, but it looks overwhelming. It’s on the homepage, and they’re right to let this tool speak for itself – it’s that impressive. But it might be too much to understand for a novice.
The biggest benefit of this site is that it provides an opportunity to shift your thinking from cost to value.
Most calculators aren’t sophisticated enough to show you long-term savings; Solar Calculator gives you a chart as part of your report that shows you the cost without solar, the cost with solar, and the lifetime savings. It helps to see the information displayed this way. We love it.
M.C. Solar & Electrical
The M.C. Solar & Electrical Blog
Who are they?
Since 2009, Mark has been offering solar solutions in Queensland. Mark is a solar installer (like us) who blogs about the solar industry (like we do).
In his own words, here’s why: I found the lack of educated, non-biased solar product information on the internet frustrating. Getting a true picture of new solar products is hard work. Then it occurred to me: why should it not be me that publishes helpful solar material? So began my blogging obsession. It gives us credibility in an industry where credibility is scarce.
M.C. Solar and Electrical makes money by installing solar systems for the good people of Queensland.
Specialties
Mark and his team are exceptional at what they do and should be the first choice for solar installations in Brisbane – even though they install string inverters (we hate these). They offer expertise and experience, innovative problem-solving, and brilliant customer service.
Benefits and Drawbacks
Many happy customers of Mark’s like his “attraction rather than promotion” approach to sales. He trains his team to save the quote until after a consultant has been by for a visit and a chat about your needs and goals. It’s a nice human touch, and most appreciate it.
We also really love how transparent he is about his pricing.
Unfortunately, he and his team sell string inverter solar systems. While they do a brilliant job of selling and installing string systems, you’re still going to be limited by the inherent disadvantages of their technology, which Mark also writes about on his blog, which you can check out at the following webpage titled, Mark’s Blog.
Smart Commercial Solar
The Smart Commercial Solar Resource Centre
Who are they?
Smart Commercial Solar started in 2012 and immediately went to work providing solar for businesses in New South Wales. They helped pioneer Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) which accelerated the commercial rooftop solar industry.
Specialties
Solar is just as wonderful for commercial businesses as it is for homeowners. They provide exceptional insight and service.
They’re also wonderful when it comes to finding financing solutions for businesses – from PPAs to leasing a solar system.
Benefits and Drawbacks
The business model for Smart Commercial Solar is different from M.C. Solar or Penrith Solar Centre. We’re an in-house installer, with every aspect of our service under one roof.
Smart Commercial Solar is a sales company that hires subcontractors to install their systems. They have a wonderful team of solar experts and engineers that will meet your unique energy needs and goals.
Their resource centre is incredible. You might want to check it out at the following webpage titled, Resource Centre.
This is as good as information about the commercial solar industry gets these days.
Wrapping It Up: The Penrith Solar Centre Difference
Now you know some of our favourite solar energy blogs. They all offer so much fantastic information for solar customers and enthusiasts. Please spend some time investigating these websites. You’ll learn enough to throw some curveballs at slick solar salespeople.
Regardless of who you choose, we’d love to be one of the companies you inquire with for solar industry answers to your questions. When the tide comes in, all boats rise.
We have a ton of articles on our blog and videos on our YouTube page (please like and subscribe) to help you on your solar journey.
Our YouTube page is exceptional, and you can find it here.
If you’re interested in learning a bit more about every aspect of the solar industry, you might want to check out our Solar Learning Centre on our website.
