The Original Solar-Man

29/04/2025

03/04/2025

working on a nice 32kW hybrid system, complete with 44kWh of Byd battery storage (two tall stacks on left)
Pluto Spirits at Seaford

29/01/2025

20 years of trust & high quality work

18/07/2024

Interesting call this afternoon from a customer needing help with the WiFi on his solar inverter.
Turns out he bought it from Sunterra, he called them and they had no idea how to fix it ( just a log in issue) and they gave him my number to fix his problem for them!
I find it quite extraordinary they took his money to install equipment they don’t know how to use themselves, then they send the guy to me.
Clearly they know who the solar expert is!

11/06/2024

First walls are up at the new
Solar-Man HQ in Aldinga

22/05/2024

Just home from an Off-grid installation at Glencoe in the south east - customer having the network disconnected and will live bill free forever

09/06/2023

So, just received an email from my good friends at AGL advising me that their rates are increasing - you may well have heard that rates are increasing by 20% on 1st July this year.
I wish it was 20%, sadly it's much much more than that:

Daily Supply Charge 11% (that's not too bad I suppose)
Peak usage 31.8%
Shoulder usage 56.3% (this is supposed to be the 'cheap' time)
off-peak usage 48.9% (again, this is the overnight 'cheap' rate)

if you don't have a battery.....now is absolutely the time!

21/03/2023

Come and learn about the latest innovations in solar & batteries this Saturday at the Lions Sustainability Expo in McLaren Vale.
I can answer all your burning questions about solar, batteries, electricity pricing & where the future energy market is heading (for better or worse)

21/12/2022

This install demonstrates a low level of competency, knowledge & training on how & where to appropriately install a battery.
I saw this across a fence in Morphett vale the other day:

1) failed to take protective film off display - already breaking down and making screen hard to see
2) battery facing West - screen will burn out in

15/11/2022

Hello again Solar-Man family,

The storm on Saturday has created an unprecedented problem in the energy network, and a backlog of messages and emails for me!
I’m writing once more hoping to address the main questions and concerns I have been receiving.

Bottom line, SA Power Networks (SAPN) had to implement strategies to keep the network running, which includes “tripping off” solar systems while they work to repair infrastructure.

If you experienced no power outage, or, power is now back on – Your system may or may not be operating depending on the grid voltage. Alternatively, it may be operating with limited power output and not producing very much energy. This is known as “reactive power” and is another indicator of grid instability.

If you have a system with battery back-up - This unprecedented set of circumstances in the energy network falls outside the standard capabilities of most battery back-up systems. An average system is designed to provide backup power for 3-4 hours. Its length of supply is based upon the battery’s level of charge at the time, and your energy usage. In normal power outage conditions, your solar would continue to operate and keep your battery charged. In this case, you must wait for the grid to stabilize and normal solar operation to return.

It is likely that you are receiving multiple error messages from your equipment’s monitoring platform. This is to be expected, as it is unable to operate normally. However, this does not mean your equipment is faulty. At this point, SAPN have indicated it could take over one week for the network to be stabilized. Once the grid is stabilized, re-evaluation of error messages can occur to determine if anyone was unlucky to have equipment damaged.

If this has not answered your questions or concerns, my apologies. I am working on a first-come, first-serve basis of ringing people back, your patience is greatly appreciated.

13/11/2022

Message from SA Power Networks this morning:

Hi. With the interconnector down, we are currently islanded from the NEM. With damage to several transmission towers, it could take over week to recover. AEMO have instructed us to maintain a secure operating network, therefore it's likely we will need to artificially raise voltages in some sub-stations, which will "trip off" customer's solar systems over the next week. People won't lose supply, it just means their solar systems won't work. If you receive calls from your solar customers, please pass on this message and advise if the issues they are calling about persist after a week to call back. Thanks, New Energy Services, SA Power Networks.