To our readers and visitors,
You may have noticed that things have been a bit quiet around here over the past week. It is with a heavy heart that we share the reason for this silence: our friend, colleague, and the editorial engine behind so much of what you read here, Michael Bloch, passed away last week after a long illness.
Michael was never one for the spotlight, but he was the reason the lights stayed on for so many of us. Below is a tribute to the man who spent twenty years quietly changing the world from behind a keyboard.
The Man of the Search Bar
Michael Bloch didn’t learn his trade in a lecture hall; he was a man of the Google search. He was a true digital autodidact who treated the search bar as a gateway to mastery. If there was a complex policy to be untangled or a scientific claim to be verified, Michael didn’t wait for an expert—he used his research prowess to become one.
His entry into the world of Australian renewables is now the stuff of legend. In the early 2000s, he was simply a customer who had paid a small fortune for a single solar panel. But while the industry was still finding its feet, Michael was already running. He had built a personal website that was so much clearer and more informative than the companies he was buying from that they eventually had to stop and take notice.
This led to a meeting that defined a twenty-year partnership with Max Sylvester. There was no corporate fanfare; just a flight to Adelaide and a lunch of toasted chicken sandwiches at Michael’s home. It was the only time they ever met in person, yet it launched a collaboration that spanned decades. Michael was such a well-kept secret that for years, many at Energy Matters genuinely believed “Michael Bloch” was just a clever alias Max used to claim extra paychecks.
A Passion for the Truth
While many knew Michael for his relentless contribution to solar, his heart was equally invested in the potential of Hemp and Medical Cannabis. As the driving force behind Hemp Gazette, he brought the same rigorous, fact-based discipline to an industry often mired in stigma and misinformation. He saw medical cannabis as a vital frontier for human health, and he refused to let hype or bad science cloud its promise.
At SolarQuotes, he was the site’s most prolific and trusted voice. Over nearly nine years, he authored an incredible 3,363 posts, each one a testament to his obsession with accuracy. He was the team’s “north star,” a writer who cut through the marketing noise to deliver straight-shooting, bullshit-free news every single day—even on Christmas. For Michael, writing wasn’t just about filling a page; it was about ensuring that every sentence was a reliable, verified map for hundreds of thousands of Australians looking for the truth.
The Bloch Stops Here
Michael’s productivity was staggering, but his commitment to the reader was even greater. He wrote thousands of posts across the energy and health sectors—working through public holidays and the changing seasons of his own health. He found a quiet solace in the work, knowing that his words helped families make better, safer choices for their homes and their wellbeing.
He moved through the world with a dry, self-deprecating wit. He was the man who suggested his own epitaph should be: “The Bloch stops here.”
Though he was happiest in the background, his legacy is written in the millions of words he left behind. He was the quiet seeker of truth, the guardian of accuracy, and the north star for so many of us. Michael Bloch didn’t just report on the world; he used the power of clear, honest information to help build a better one. He will be deeply missed.
