Australia is - simply put - an amazing place. Australia has the world’s oldest fossil (estimated to be 3.4 billion years old) and the planet’s largest living structure – the Great Barrier Reef. Closer to my heart, Australia also has the highest average solar radiation per square meter of any country or continent in the world.
To put it a different way, the annual solar radiation in Australia is 10,000 times the amount of energy its people consume in the same period – in short, more than enough. SolarPixel has evolved to give every Australian the opportunity to access the benefits of solar energy.
The challenge is no longer in converting solar radiation into usable electricity. Solar PV technology has taken leaps and bounds in recent years, and thanks to stabilization in government programs of late, is incredibly affordable. The typical measure of solar affordability – the cost per watt – has now dipped below $1 for standard installations for the first time in history.
The remaining challenge is in breaking down the many social and structural challenges that still limit people’s opportunities to invest. Not everyone has thousands of dollars to invest in the purchase of a system. And not everyone has the knowledge at hand to understand the many decisions that need to be made in selecting an installer.
Not everyone owns their own home, or if they do, if it’s an apartment or unit it may not have a roof. Even if they do have a roof, it might be facing the wrong direction or shaded by an ancient native gum tree.
SolarPixel’s mission is to provide a way around these barriers. We break down solar projects into panel-by-panel investment opportunities, and locate those projects in places where the best outcome for investors can be reached. Our investment opportunities are stable, reliable and can incorporate a range of social outcomes.
Imagine the members of a neighbourhood each investing in the purchase of a 50kW system on the local school. Each member gets a stable financial return on investment, and the school gets green energy and a great topic for a science project!
Imagine an apartment dweller wanting to reduce their carbon footprint. Investment in SolarPixel would buy a stake in a solar system located in the sunniest parts of the country. Their investment would again provide a steady financial return, off-setting their own costs of energy, and their contribution would increase the proportion of renewable energy in the national electricity system.
The first step on the journey is to learn what is most important to each and every one of you – what kind of project, what level of return etc – so that we can develop the right kind of projects.