Solar Sidekicks Podcast

Solar Sidekicks Podcast

S3E17 - Installer Nights, Megawatt STCs & One Alleged Bribe

Aug 17, 2026 · 1 hr 22 min · 14 segments

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…

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.**

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…

Speakers: Pat SouthwellHostLauren CiconteHost

Welcome and Installer Nights Preview0:16 – 2:35

Pat SouthwellHost

0:16

Hello there everyone and welcome to another episode of Solar Sidekicks.

Pat SouthwellHost

0:20

My name is Pat Southwell and I am here today with my co-host Lauren Cicconti.

Pat SouthwellHost

0:25

How are you Loz?

Lauren CiconteHost

0:25

I'm great, thank you.

Lauren CiconteHost

0:26

How are you?

Pat SouthwellHost

0:27

I'm great, thanks.

Pat SouthwellHost

0:28

Going great.

Pat SouthwellHost

0:30

First of all, I'll acknowledge the traditional landowners and where we're recording this today.

Pat SouthwellHost

0:34

And yeah, we're actually, we've had a little bit of a break and we're doing this at your place.

Lauren CiconteHost

0:41

Yes.

Lauren CiconteHost

0:41

New studio.

Lauren CiconteHost

0:42

Officer studio is live

Pat SouthwellHost

0:44

and

Lauren CiconteHost

0:45

in action.

Pat SouthwellHost

0:45

Beautiful place.

Lauren CiconteHost

0:46

It is.

Lauren CiconteHost

0:47

It's so beautiful.

Lauren CiconteHost

0:48

I love it.

Lauren CiconteHost

0:49

Built amazingly from SJD.

Pat SouthwellHost

0:51

Nice little plug for them.

Lauren CiconteHost

0:52

Yeah.

Lauren CiconteHost

0:53

That's really cool.

Lauren CiconteHost

0:54

Just had out my three month maintenance today, which is insane to think I've already been in here for three months.

Lauren CiconteHost

1:00

Yeah.

Pat SouthwellHost

1:01

Yeah.

Pat SouthwellHost

1:01

That's cool.

Lauren CiconteHost

1:01

I love it.

Lauren CiconteHost

1:02

I love it.

Lauren CiconteHost

1:02

It's

Pat SouthwellHost

1:02

cool.

Pat SouthwellHost

1:03

I like the finishes too.

Pat SouthwellHost

1:04

They've done a really good job on a lot of the stuff.

Pat SouthwellHost

1:05

Yeah.

Lauren CiconteHost

1:06

And also shout out to my dad who did the paint job.

Lauren CiconteHost

1:09

He did amazing.

Lauren CiconteHost

1:10

74 years old and loved it.

Lauren CiconteHost

1:13

He was here.

Lauren CiconteHost

1:13

He started in Christmas and just started doing like the eaves on that two week break while the scaffold and two plank was up.

Lauren CiconteHost

1:19

And he spent so much time here.

Lauren CiconteHost

1:21

He's so proud of it.

Lauren CiconteHost

1:22

He just comes in and he's like, I did that.

Lauren CiconteHost

1:25

Yeah.

Pat SouthwellHost

1:26

I noticed the concrete column in the middle just beneath the stairs.

Pat SouthwellHost

1:30

It just

Lauren CiconteHost

1:30

like screams Slay the Grey, like just Italian vibes.

Pat SouthwellHost

1:34

Yeah, yeah.

Pat SouthwellHost

1:34

Yeah,

Lauren CiconteHost

1:35

he did a few features in here that I didn't know about and I came in and I'm like, oh, that's new, that's new.

Lauren CiconteHost

1:41

But that feature wall over there, that one especially where the TV is, he's used that in about three or four clients' homes after it and they have loved it.

Lauren CiconteHost

1:49

How

Pat SouthwellHost

1:49

good.

Lauren CiconteHost

1:50

Yeah, he's done pretty well.

Pat SouthwellHost

1:51

He's done really well, yeah, good finishes.

Lauren CiconteHost

1:52

Yeah.

Pat SouthwellHost

1:54

Well done.

Pat SouthwellHost

1:54

Well done to Lauren's father.

Pat SouthwellHost

1:58

Yeah, we haven't recorded for a little while.

Pat SouthwellHost

2:00

There's been a bit of stuff going on in the industry.

Pat SouthwellHost

2:02

I can't remember what our last episode was.

Pat SouthwellHost

2:05

I think it was Brendan maybe.

Pat SouthwellHost

2:06

I think it was Brendan

Lauren CiconteHost

2:07

last.

Lauren CiconteHost

2:08

But there's a reason why we've had a little bit of a break because I believe some congratulations are in order for you and Joe.

Pat SouthwellHost

2:15

Thank you.

Pat SouthwellHost

2:15

You

Lauren CiconteHost

2:16

guys have just wrapped up their first year of their Southwell training events.

Lauren CiconteHost

2:21

So congratulations, guys.

Pat SouthwellHost

2:22

Thank you.

Pat SouthwellHost

2:23

Thanks very much.

Pat SouthwellHost

2:24

That was great.

Pat SouthwellHost

2:25

I can't

Lauren CiconteHost

2:25

believe, like, you've already done a whole year of it.

Pat SouthwellHost

2:28

I've done eight events now.

Pat SouthwellHost

2:29

Yeah.

Pat SouthwellHost

2:29

Like,

Lauren CiconteHost

2:29

it's crazy.

Lauren CiconteHost

2:30

And you kicked off with Melbourne.

Lauren CiconteHost

2:32

And it's, yeah, it's been hectic.

Lauren CiconteHost

2:34

So well done, guys.

Pat SouthwellHost

2:35

Thank you.

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