The Australian Solar Council has launched a campaign to protect the Renewable Energy Target (RET) and to ‘save solar’. The Solar Council has thus far been one of the most […]
Germany proposes tax on ‘self-consumption’ of solar for commercial & industrial users
Proposed changes to Germany’s renewable energy support mechanism could result in a further deceleration in the country’s uptake of solar PV, with some warning that they could bring about the […]
Elon Musk adds Tesla batteries to grid PV with SolarCity’s DemandLogic
After creating highly successful online payment systems (PayPal), electric sports cars (Tesla Motors), commercial space travel (SpaceX) and more recently, the largest US residential PV installation company (SolarCity), billionaire Elon […]
AEMO data confirms rooftop solar pushing back peak energy demand in Vic and SA
The ability of rooftop solar to shift the peak of consumption has been highlighted by new analysis from the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) into events during the recent heat-waves […]
Renewables are now mainstream in Germany: Merkel
Now that they account for 25% of Germany’s electricity generation, renewable energy technologies are part of the mainstream, according to Chancellor Angela Merkel. In the first major speech of her […]
Solar homes & businesses meeting more than 10% of daytime electricity demand in WA, SA & QLD
The influence of rooftop solar PV on Australia’s electricity grids is growing steadily, highlighted by recent data that shows households and businesses are supplying more than 10 per cent of […]
Pollinate Energy brings solar lighting to India’s ‘urban poor’ by fostering the entrepreneurial spirit
Solar photovoltaic (PV) technology is sweeping the globe and having a huge impact on the world’s electricity generation & transmission infrastructure. When most people think ‘solar power’, the thing that […]
Promising organic battery technology for energy storage
A new class of inexpensive, organic (non-metal) materials has been reported by researchers at Harvard University that has the potential to dramatically reduce the cost of flow batteries for energy […]
Facts pack: Electricity price and solar energy in Australia 2014
The newspapers are full of stories about electricity costs and it’s no wonder because prices have increased by as much as 33% in some states in the last three years. […]
Market share for anti-reflection coated glass to reach 75% in 2014
With anti-reflection coatings on module glass promising gains of up to 3% or more in module efficiency, the glass industry is predicting an increasing uptake (PDF) of anti-reflection coating among PV module […]
Canadian Solar largest foreign supplier to surging Japanese market
Canadian Solar topped the list of foreign exporters of solar PV modules to Japan in 2013, supplying 508MW towards the country’s renewable energy drive following the Fukushima nuclear disaster. In […]
Cost of solar power set to fall further in next 5 years: Trina Solar
Within five years, the average cost of solar PV will fall to around 6c/kWh – putting it on par with coal and gas fired generators in many countries, and making […]
Axing the small-scale renewables target could cost 7,000 solar jobs
The Australian solar industry – which employs more people than the gold mining, and oil and gas industries, and nearly as many as coal mining – could lose nearly two […]
Are falling battery costs the solution to solar PV ills?
While the cost of solar PV is no longer the roadblock to widespread adoption it used to be, one can’t say the same about its intermittent nature, which continues to […]
Solar goes digital: Welcome to the virtual world of SolarCoin
You have probably heard of Bitcoin, a peer-to-peer payment system and digital currency launched in 2009. It’s essentially a currency which allows participants to value, verify and record payments for […]
US solar job growth is booming. What’s in store for Australia?
Renewable energy is booming in the United States, with renewable technologies accounting for 37% of the new electricity generation capacity in the country in 2013. With this has come a […]
Metallisation paste advances boost efficiencies for REC modules
Singapore-based REC Solar and DuPont Microcircuit Materials, a key developer of metal pastes for the PV industry, have recently announced that DuPont’s new ‘Solamet PV18x’ series of metallisation pastes have […]
ARENA announces groundbreaking for Australia’s largest solar farm & opening of QLD solar panel coating facility
The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has welcomed the passage of important milestones for 2 projects in its portfolio: Groundbreaking at the Nyngan Solar Farm in NSW and a the […]
Renewable energy researchers receive Order of Australia honours
If the long weekend and fine weather itself wasn’t enough to cheer up solar energy enthusiasts this Australia Day, a quick look at the line-up of the 2014 Order of […]
Higher potential efficiencies in thin film PV with new CIS material
Researchers at the US Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory and the University of Texas, Austin have developed a new, inexpensive material for thin-film photovoltaics that is able to capture […]
Rooftop solar already less expensive than grid power–even in Europe
A report from the biggest solar research centre in Europe suggests that rooftop solar PV is clearly cheaper than electricity sourced from the grid – even in northern European countries […]
Solar modules set to get smarter in 2014
While no one argues that investing in PV modules isn’t a smart move today, it won’t be long before we start asking if our modules are just as smart – […]
2 Australian scientists honoured for work in solar thermal technology
2 Australian scientists have been awarded Member of the order of Australia medals for their work in the realm of solar thermal–or concentrating solar power (CSP)–technology. Dr David Mills, a […]
Nitin Nampalli: Solar Choice News Technology Analyst
Solar Choice welcomes Nitin Nampalli as its newest contributor to the company’s news service, Solar Choice News. Nitin, a PhD candidate researching solar photovoltaics at the University of New South Wales, […]
Giles Parkinson joins Solar Choice News as regular contributor
Giles Parkinson has joined Solar Choice as a regular contributor to its news service, Solar Choice News. A consistent proponent of the renewable energy revolution in Australia, Giles will provide […]
IRENA announces loans in support of 6 renewable energy projects in developing countries
The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) has announced USD$41 million worth of concessional loans that the agency has made available for 6 projects in developing countries through a partnership with the […]
Australia ranks 34th in large-scale solar worldwide
Australia is well established as a global leader in the penetration of rooftop solar, but its record for large scale solar is not as impressive. The amount of utility scale […]
Solar Choice pricing data to be included in CEC’s 2014 business & industry solar PV guide
The Clean Energy Council (CEC) has approached Solar Choice for fresh pricing data to be included in the newest edition of the organisation’s Guide to Installing Solar PV for Business & […]
Utilities & generators pushing for weaker small-scale Renewable Energy Target
The rooftop solar PV industry in Australia is likely to see some or all of its tariff support and other incentives removed because of pressure on the government from leading […]
Solar Choice’s leading role in the commercial solar field
Solar Choice Commercial and its unique Tender Management Platform are leading the way in the commercial sector of Australia’s solar PV market, with more installations in the 40 kilowatt (kW) or higher range than any other […]
Victorian network operator to dispatch grid energy storage trial
Victoria’s SP Ausnet, the grid operator for the state, has plans to run an grid energy storage trial in order to examine new ways to deal with the issue of […]
