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In this episode of SolarQuotes TV, everything is about Made in Australia. From testing Australian solar panels in Alice Springs to saving you money through smart monitoring developed at home.

We also looked at the world’s largest redeployable solar farm in South Australia, which utilizes indigenous innovative shelf technology, as well as inverters and batteries manufactured for Australian conditions. All of this and more are in SolarQuotes TV Episode 11, the only ones not made in Australia are Finns!

00:52 – The availability and affordability of modern solar panels are largely attributed to a team of researchers from the University of New South Wales led by Dr. Martin Green (now a professor), also known as "The Father of Photovoltaics". Professor Green established a small research unit in the 1980s to produce more efficient solar cells. Finn discussed the incredible track record of the team, including the PERC solar cell invented by Professor Green, which is used in approximately 90% of the panels in the world today.

02:11 – Finn and Glenn Morelli of Tindo Solar discussed the new Tindo factory in Adelaide, which will triple the production capacity of the old factory. We can take a peek at the new premises, which are decorated with some very impressive equipment. After the facility is up and running, you can also book a factory tour and see for yourself.

Tindo solar panels are not the only "Made in Australia" solar panels, but the only brand currently recommended by SolarQuotes.

05:48-This month's field test focuses on the Desert Knowledge Australia Solar Center near Alice Springs, where Tindo panels and some other brands of panels operate in very harsh environments.

"If they can survive there, they should be fine on your roof," Finn said.

The center was established in 2008 as a project funded by the federal government to showcase photovoltaic technology. You can view the performance of solar panels of different types, ages, brands, models and configurations here.

08:11 – MIL-Systems is an electronic equipment manufacturer of West Footscray, producing equipment for the Australian Defence Force. It also makes a very robust inverter. If you have not heard of this company or inverter before, it is because there is no strong marketing drive behind it.

David Bruce from Essential Solar explained why Eclipse is the inverter of choice for many of his company's installations.

"We have installed this inverter for about three years, and we have not had any product failures until now-this is very remarkable."

You can also read the detailed MIL-Solar Eclipse inverter reviews published by Ronald at the beginning of last year, and view the reviews of Australian customers on Eclipse.

11:44 – Maverick is the flagship product of Sydney Company 5B, which has attracted a lot of attention both locally and overseas. It is a modular, prefabricated solar panel and racking solution that includes ballasts that can be rolled out (or more accurately, unfolded) very quickly and redeployed in another location when needed.

Nicola Murphy of SA Water explained how the utility company uses this world-leading technology as part of its large-scale photovoltaic deployment. The 30,000 panels installed in the Happy Valley Reservoir in Adelaide using 5B Maverick represent the largest installation of its kind in the world-at present. Since 5B Maverick was selected as the preferred technology for Sun Cable's proposed 10GW photovoltaic project in the Northern Territory, we can see that the scale of installation in the future will be much larger.

14:05-PowerPlus Energy was established in 2017 to develop battery storage for commercial and residential applications; all of its products are assembled at the Melbourne factory in Australia. Ned checked the PowerPlus Energy battery review submitted to SolarQuotes by a very satisfied customer not long ago, and followed up to understand the progress.

15:53-Most solar inverters contain basic monitoring functions. Finn is often asked if there is any value in buying SolarAnalytics; advanced solar monitoring software/hardware solutions developed in Australia.

Finn provides several reasons why it can be a very good investment-and provides a real example of how SolarAnalytics can help avoid potential disadvantages that may occur.

18:56-Buying solar panels made in Australia is a good way to support our economy. SQ's Ronald said, but the same goes for buying imported panels.

He explained the reason. Ronald also recently published an in-depth article on Australia and imported solar panels; expanding this part of the view.

For all the content related to solar energy and a large number of videos from other SQTV episodes, please check out and subscribe to the SolarQuotes Youtube channel!

Michael discovered solar problems after purchasing modules in 2008 to piece together a small off-grid photovoltaic system. Since then, he has been covering Australian and international solar energy news.

Dear Solarquotes, thank you for providing valuable written information as a guide to help me choose an installation program. Listening to your suggestions in the publication, can you tell me when MLEC, which looks like a sound company, was founded? The strange thing is that it does not appear on their website. John Stanley

Please keep the SolarQuotes blog constructive and useful through the following 4 rules:

1. Preferred real name-you should be happy to add your name to your comment. 2. Put down the weapon. 3. Assume positive intentions. 4. If you are in the solar industry-try to understand the truth, not to sell. 5. Please keep the theme.

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