Optimistic solar power providers in India are predicting that a change in government in May could deliver a massive boost in solar spending and infrastructure over the next decade. The […]
Survey of US homeowners reveals strong support for solar that crosses political boundaries
Echoing the results of similar surveys of Australians, a recent poll conducted by Zogby Analytics for US solar giant SolarCity and Clean Edge, the vast majority of American homeowners are […]
A head-turning snapshot of global transformation underway with solar & energy-storage
The amount of information and volume of news reports about the changes underway in the world’s electricity system can be overwhelming. It seems that almost every day there is some […]
US Energy Secretary hints energy storage could be on par with oil boom in disruptive capacity
United States Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz has hinted in an inverview with Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) that energy storage has the potential to dramatically change the way that electricity […]
Uncertainty over future of renewable energy support mechanisms driving investors away from Australia
Australia is in danger of losing investors in clean energy options such as solar and wind energy, and in carbon abatement, because of the uncertainty around environmental legislation. Several key […]
IRENA aims to forge a roadmap for energy storage deployment
It seems that everyone in the renewable energy industry is talking about electrical energy storage, which promises to unlock the potential for the rapid expansion of renewable energy technologies. But […]
BenQ Solar claims title for world’s lightest crystalline silicon PV module
In response to increasing demand for light-weight modules in Japan, BenQ Solar, the solar division of Taiwanese semiconductor device manufacturer AU Optronics, has developed a new 60-cell crystalline silicon PV […]
Ghana could increase electricity capacity nearly 30% with huge solar project
We’ve written previously about the anticipated growth in Africa’s solar power sector. As Cleantechnica recently pointed out, just one of the countries making big solar plans is Ghana, which could […]
Battle for the RET begins in WA as Solar Council ramps up campaign
The Australian Solar Council will in the coming days unleash a massive ad campaign in Western Australia, where one of the key issues in the upcoming 5 April senate election […]
Researchers create colourful solar cells using hybrid organic-inorganic PV technology
Researchers at the University of Michigan have developed a new, eye-catching transparent photovoltaic cell using a novel mixture of organic and inorganic materials, thereby bringing colourful photovoltaics one step closer […]
German utility, posting €2.8b loss, says that decline of fossil fuels is ‘unstoppable’
One of the largest electricity utility companies in Germany, RWE, has posted its first loss in 60 years. RWE CEO Peter Terium said that the company had got its strategy […]
Khosla-backed Stion delivers 20% module efficiency with novel tandem technology
If the recent trail of new innovations is any clue, the race to find a new champion to boost the fortunes of thin film solar has never been more intense. […]
Five billion reasons why independent power makes sense
Australia. Often described as modern, sophisticated and of course, sunny; a country with 22 million smiling and suntanned jokers. What you may not know is that almost half a million […]
Solar PV Price Index–March 2014
Between February and March, average 1.5kW and 2kW solar PV system prices continued their steady rise in all cities included in the PV Price Index except for Adelaide, while pricing […]
QLD’s new ‘unfair’, market rate solar feed-in tariff could mean customers go off-grid
Some 40,000 Queensland solar households will soon be at the mercy of their electricity retailer after the state government confirmed it would axe the state’s 8c/kWh feed-in tariff at the […]
ANU builds on R&D reputation in joint development of IBC solar cell with Trina
In a joint effort with Chinese PV giant Trina Solar, Australian National University has helped to achieve a new “milestone” in solar research, with the development of a new high-efficiency […]
New JA Solar panels mark entry of black silicon technology
JA Solar has recently launched two new high-efficiency PV modules at the recent PV Expo in Japan: the 285W PERCIUM module and the 270W RIECIUM module. The announcement marks the […]
Queensland 8c/kWh solar feed-in tariff will be cut (as scheduled) from July, 44c/kWh rate safe
The Queensland government will remove the 8c/kWh solar feed-in tariff rate guaranteed to solar system owners who signed up after the state’s 44c/kWh was closed to new applicants. Solar households […]
US solar market grew 41% in 2013: GTM Research & SEIA
4.7GW of solar PV capacity was installed in the United States in 2013–with about half of this coming online in the final quarter alone, according to a year-in-review report by […]
Big changes ahead for Australian solar
2014 will be a watershed year for the Australian solar industry, and consumers will feel the impacts one way or another. The fate of Australian companies who participate in this […]
SA Premier visits Tindo Solar plant to talk renewables support as election looms
In a show of support for both local jobs and the renewable energy industry, South Australian premier Jay Weatherill paid a visit to Tindo Solar‘s manufacturing plant this week. The […]
Suntech, under new ownership, plans a comeback
The Suntech brand is staging a comeback, according to a press release from the company. Wuxi Suntech (colloquially referred to as Suntech but actually one subsidiary of Suntech Power Holdings […]
2014 global solar market will be supply-driven, says NPD Solarbuzz
2014 will at last the year that panel manufacturers begin to see their balance sheets return to the black, with analysts NPD Solarbuzz anticipating that demand for solar modules will […]
International Energy Agency says integration of wind & solar is possible and affordable
The International Energy Agency has blown away some of the key myths surrounding renewable energy, and which seem to be affecting policy development in Australia. In a report released last […]
Trina Solar and ANU announce highest efficiency yet for rear-contact PV cells
A long-term, multi-national research effort driven by Trina Solar has finally paid dividends, with the company announcing the development of a 24.4% efficient, all-rear contact silicon solar cell design that […]
Australian Solar Council introduces independent quality seal for solar panels
The Australian Solar Council has introduced its own seal of approval for solar modules. The voluntary “Positive Quality” program will go above and beyond the basic Clean Energy Council accreditation required […]
Microinverters & DC-DC optimisers to shake up solar PV market, confirms Navigant Consulting
Echoing the findings of GTM Research in a report released not long ago, the market for microinverters and DC-DC power optimisers is set to take off dramatically, predicts a new […]
FirstSolar’s CdTe thin-film 20.4% record cell efficiency now on par with multi-crystalline Silicon
First Solar announced a new world record for cadmium-telluride (CdTe) solar cell efficiency – 20.4%, a figure confirmed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). The new efficiency now matches […]
EU research project provides free, by-the-minute solar radiation data
Given the erratic nature of weather, is it really possible to predict exactly when, where and how strongly the sun shines? A group of European researchers seems to think so. […]
Are Australian utilities creating extra hurdles for rooftop solar?
A leading international manufacturer of solar inverters has suggested that Australian utilities are throwing up artificial barriers to slow down the uptake of rooftop solar in Australia. The Swiss-based SolarMax […]
EnergyAustralia: Rooftop solar to blame for falling wholesale electricity costs & demand
The explosion of rooftop solar PV has caused grief to another major incumbent utility in Australia, with EnergyAustralia, one of the big three utilities in the country, blaming it for […]
