After a month off, Pat and Lauren are back for a proper Solar Sidekicks industry catch-up — and there’s plenty to talk about.

First up, they wrap up the first year of the Southwell Solar Installer Nights, from the huge Melbourne opener through to a particularly loose finish in Southern Sydney. They talk about what they learnt travelling around the country, why installers are crying out for practical training, and why sometimes the best conversations happen once the presentations are finished and the beers are flowing.

Then there’s some massive news for commercial solar. The STC scheme is being extended all the way up to 1 MW, and Pat and Lauren get into what that could mean for commercial installers, switchboards, grid protection, maintenance, compliance — and the inevitable rebate rush.

And then… Growatt.

An alleged attempt to bribe a CEC employee over a product listing gives Pat and Lauren plenty to work with. There are jokes, hypothetical cups of tea and some questionable suggestions about speeding up product approvals — but underneath the banter is a serious discussion about how long product listings can take and the pressure that puts on manufacturers.

They finish with some good news from Solar Victoria, including training opportunities and free hearing tests at All Energy. If you’re heading along and want to book one, you can grab a spot here:

Book a free hearing test at All Energy

https://events.humanitix.com/free-hearing-tests

No guest. No real plan. Just Pat and Lauren catching up after a month off, coming out the other side of winter and talking through another slightly ridiculous few weeks in solar.

Installer Nights, megawatt STCs, alleged bribes and a bit of industry therapy. Solar Sidekicks is back.