Excessive sugar consumption might be a big no-no for the health-conscious, but according to a recent paper published in Nature Communications, what’s bad for you might be the perfect fuel […]
China cuts back on coal fired energy
Anyone who is part of Australia’s resource boom would have you believe that our nation’s future rides on the back of our abundant coal resources and indeed, recent submission to […]
How you can help save Australia’s Renewable Energy Target
Renewables are currently in the hot seat as electric utilities lobby to eliminate or weaken the primary incentive mechanism left in Australia that supports them: The Renewable Energy Target. It’s […]
Taking a punt with solar thermal
In February 2014, the largest solar thermal power station in the world came on line, the Ivanpah Solar Power Facility. Erected in the Mojave desert just 64kms from Las Vegas, […]
Solar PV Price Index–February 2014
Average prices for systems of all common sizes included (1.5kW-10kW) in almost all cities have increased this month, with 1.5kW systems rising the most. Systems in Canberra appeared to undergo a decrease […]
New electrode technology claims to make sodium batteries worth their salt
Researchers at Kansas State University have developed a new composite paper electrode for use in sodium-ion batteries, potentially revolutionizing the design of sodium-ion batteries and getting them one step closer […]
Electric vehicles could save the utility business model–and make solar worthwhile
Electric vehicles have suddenly become a matter of huge interest for energy utilities in Australia, because it seen as a way of ensuring continuing demand for generators and networks, and […]
Crescent Dunes, the world’s largest solar plant with molten salt energy storage, begins commissioning
The biggest solar tower plant with molten salt storage has begun commissioning in the northern desert region of Nevada. The 110MW Crescent Dunes project includes 10 hours of storage, and […]
‘Community solar’ offers another way to own solar panels in the US
Even for those who are fully onboard in their support of renewable energy and understand how it can save them money, finding a meaningful way to take advantage is not […]
Areva and Schneider Electric to partner on hydrogen storage for remote areas
France’s Areva and Schneider Electric have entered a partnership to develop systems for energy storage using hydrogen fuel cell technology. The partnership pools the expertise of the two companies to enhance […]
Paper and PV: Wood pulp-based material boosts organic PV efficiency
Solar cells today are made from a wide cocktail of materials, from earth-abundant materials (Silicon and Carbon) to exotic rare earth metals (Indium, Gallium, etc), and from polymers to organic […]
US Department of Energy: $30m for 12 hybrid solar projects
The US Department Of Energy (DOE) will provide funding for 12 major hybrid solar projects that are still in the R&D phase. The agency will provide $30 million to be used […]
Market for module-level power electronics set to grow five-fold in 2017
Greentech Media Research (GTM) has recently released a report that predicts the module-level power electronics (MLPE) market to grow five-fold by 2017, singling out 2014 to be the landmark year […]
GMO Capital founder says wind and solar will replace fossil fuels–more quickly than expected
On of the world’s leading funds managers, GMO Capital co-founder Jeremy Grantham, has warned of the dangers of investing in new fossil fuels, saying it is certain they will be […]
University spin-off builds South Africa’s first CIGS manufacturing line
A spin-off company from the University of Johannesburg, Photovoltaic Technology Intellectual Property (PTiP), has recently commissioned a pilot production line for CIGS thin-film solar module production in collaboration with long-term […]
Chinese government to weed out shoddy panel manufacturers
Let’s face it: a lot of good stuff comes out of China and we probably all have something in our life that is functional and was bought at a lower […]
Japan’s Sumitomo to deploy used EV batteries as storage for solar farm
A large scale storage facility that will be attached to a solar farm in Japan is about to test the theory that re-used batteries can offer an effective, and cheap, […]
RESA’s VoltLogic attains AS4777 standard certification
Renewable Energy Systems Australia (RESA) has received approval for its VoltLogic to be connected to the grid under the Australian standard for solar system inverters, AS4777. The certification is of […]
US commercial energy storage market to grow 5-fold by 2020: GTM
Driven mainly by increased uptake of solar PV systems, the US commercial energy storage market is ripe to grow from 120 megawatts (MW) in 2014 to around 720MW by 2020–an […]
A breath of fresh air for CIGS: Siva Power’s 18.8% efficient cell
Siva Power, known as Solexant Corp until November last year, has announced a new high efficiency for the thin-film copper-indium-gallium-selenide (CIGS) PV technology it has been developing. The 18.8% efficiency […]
Hornsby solar array survives tornado
Whether you believe climate change is impacting on localized weather patterns or not, it’s clear Australia continues to be subjected to some radical weather. On Monday the 18th November 2013, […]
Energy Networks Association argues against RET as households look to gas alternatives
The Australian solar industry is facing a new threat – this time from gas network operators who believe that incentives for rooftop solar and solar hot water if pushing their […]
Victorian Feed-in Tariff open to low-emissions technology applicants
Anyone interested in installing small and medium sized commercial solar systems in Victoria should take note that the Victorian Government introduced a new minimum feed-in tariff rate in 2013 based […]
EnerVault unveils cost-competitive flow batteries for energy storage
Flow battery manufacturer, EnerVault, has recently announced that it is close to commissioning its first commercial flow battery-based energy storage system in California, USA. The Global Cleantech 100 listed company has also […]
Ikea dumps 10MW solar plant in Spain as retroactive solar cuts come into effect
Sweden’s iconic furniture chain Ikea has pulled the plug on one of its largest solar investments in Spain as budget-saving, retroactive subsidy cuts came into effect. The 10 megawatt (MW) […]
Limiting peak demand with ‘pipe’ approach won’t work for Australia, says APVI
When electricity demand peaks, it not only requires power plants to be fired up to meet the demand, but also increases the price of electricity. For example, in the US, […]
Japan’s Fukushima prefecture plans for 100% renewable energy by 2040
In staid opposition to the national government’s push to restart the country’s temporarily shuttered nuclear power plants, Japan’s Fukushima prefecture has opted to pursue a path towards sourcing 100% of […]
Commissioning of Kogan Creek ‘Solar Boost’ project delayed until 2015
Australia will have to wait another year before witnessing the start of production from its first large scale solar thermal energy plant, following delays at the 44MW Kogan Creek solar […]
Hunter Valley vineyard to cut power bills with 200kW solar system
Hunter Valley’s Drayton Family Wines recently powered up a 200 kilowatt (kW) solar farm with the intent of saving money on its power bills, following suit with thousands of other businesses […]
Australia’s Dyesol looking to set up shop in Turkey
Australian-based dye solar cell manufacturer Dyesol is looking to the Turkish market and has signed a contract to build a first prototype production facility. Dye solar cells can be incorporated […]
California’s Ivanpah ‘Solar Tower’ now online
The 392 megawatt (MW) Ivanpah Solar Project has at long last come online in California. The solar thermal plant, located south of Las Vegas, Nevada across the California border will […]
