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 […]
China increases 2014 solar panel installation target to 14GW
China’s transformation for a mere manufacturer of solar panel to the biggest consumer is accelerating with news that the country has upped its target for 2014 by another 15 per […]
Euro Solar fined $145,000 for false and misleading representations
The Federal Court of Australia has ordered Euro Solar (trading as P&N Pty Ltd and P&N NSW Pty Ltd), sister company Worldwide Energy & Manufacturing (WEMA) and their director Nikunjkumar […]
California’s Blythe solar power plant ok’ed for switch from CSP to PV
The California Energy Commission (CEC) voted unanimously to permit the developers of the Blythe Solar Power project to switch technologies from concentrating solar power (CSP) to solar photovoltaic (PV) modules. […]
SolaX Power hybrid energy storage systems and batteries
SolaX Power, a subsidiary of the Suntellite Group, is a developer and manufacturer of energy management & energy storage technologies. The company offers an array of products for residential, commercial […]
Rooftop solar PV provided nearly 9% of SA’s electricity, 3% of Vic’s during peak of heat on 16 Jan
Rooftop solar in Australia’s southern states reduced peak demand by an average of 4.6 per cent during the recent heat-wave, and on one afternoon provided one quarter of South Australia’s […]
Outlook on energy storage optimistic for 2014
Good things appear to be in store for the energy storage industry in the new year, with a number of sources pointing to major movement in 2014, thanks in great […]
Solar thermophotovoltaic breakthrough from MIT: Harnessing both light and heat for electricity
A team at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is developing a new approach to making solar cells. The technology, ‘solar thermovoltaics’ or SVT, would utilise not only the light […]
ARENA announces 2 solar winners
The Australian solar industry has scored two new wins with the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) announcing plans boost Australian solar research and development, and a University NSW team taking out […]
Rooftop solar’s key role in keeping the lights on during the heatwave
Solar power is incontrovertibly having an impact on the Australian electricity market. For renewable energy advocates, the performance of the nation’s ‘people’s power plant’–now spread across nearly 2 million roofs–over […]
Solar PV Price Index–Jan 2014
At the start of 2014, solar PV system prices are up in Canberra and steady in other capital cities, except among 1.5kW solar systems. Although included for all other cities as per […]
ARENA will fund study looking at solar power for Port Augusta, SA
The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) will commit $1 million to a feasibility study into the potential deployment of concentrating solar power (CSP) technology to replace or supplement energy produced […]
Solar Choice’s Patent: Automatic Quotes for Solar Power Installations
Since July 2011, Solar Choice Pty Ltd has had a “patent pending” for its unique Solar Quote Comparison system, which to date has allowed 105,000 Australian households and hundreds of […]
Solar Selections brokers installation of solar power systems for UK’s largest bakery chain
The largest chain of bakeries in the UK has installed the equivalent of 1.28 megawatts (MW) of solar PV capacity on the roofs of 10 of its locations with the […]
Can Australian solar PV reduce peak demand during heat waves?
The record high temperatures that parts of Australia has witnessed since the arrival of the new year have been a hot topic in the news, with temperatures coming close to […]
Australia nears its 2 millionth rooftop solar system, total SGUs surpass 2 million
The Clean Energy Regulator (CER) has released data indicating that the number of rooftop solar systems in Australia is now approximately 170,000 short of 2 million when both solar photovoltaic […]
Solar Choice develops & brokers installation of solar panels for 6 ACT McDonald’s restaurants
Rooftop solar power systems are now generating electricity for 6 McDonald’s restaurants in the ACT. The installations, whose tenders were exclusively developed and managed by Solar Choice Commercial, will save each […]
2014 bodes well for solar PV globally
Solar photovoltaic (PV) uptake appears ready to surge globally in the year 2014. Investment house Deutsche Bank and market research firm NPD Solarbuzz have offered growth forecasts of 46 gigawatts (GW) and […]
What is your feed-in tariff eligibility in Western Australia? (Horizon customers)
If you live anywhere in regional Western Australia (essentially anywhere outside of Perth & surrounds) and you have grid electricity, your power is probably delivered by Horizon Power, whose […]
Versol Solar: Mounting & tracking solutions for all PV applications
Versol Solar is a manufacturer of ground and roof mounting products, tracking systems and building-integrated solutions for solar photovoltaic (PV) arrays. The company provides comprehensive technical support for solar projects […]
2013: The Australian year in solar
2013 was a huge year full of ups and downs for the solar industry globally and in Australia. What were some of the most important milestones, events and trends of […]
Government intentions to dilute the RET becoming clearer
The government’s intention to dilute the strength of the country’s Renewable Energy Target (RET) has become clearer, with Prime Minister Abbott accusing the scheme of ‘causing pretty significant price pressures’ […]
Among the upcoming wave of utility-scale solar farms, Silex Systems plans projects in Victoria, Queensland and beyond
Australia’s Silex Systems, known in solar PV circles mainly for its solar panel manufacturing wing Silex Solar, has in recent years been focusing its efforts on the development of solar […]
The impact of rising wholesale fuel costs on Queensland’s electricity prices (and the rest of Australia)
Regulated electricity prices will rise in Queensland next year, and the carbon tax and other renewable energy support schemes have been widely blamed as the main reason for these increases. […]
Lessons learned from the NSW Solar Bonus Scheme: An academic view
While last year’s debacle with WA’s feed-in tariff is already resolved, was still a reminder of the history that this policy mechanism has had elsewhere in Australia. The WA feed-in tariff, after […]
Queensland electricity prices set to rise again from 2014: QCA draft decision released
The Queensland Competition Authority has released its draft decision for regulated electricity prices from July 2014. Although the decision is still in draft form, precedent dictates that the final version […]
Green Homes Australia: Building clean, energy-efficient homes at affordable prices
The buildings best-suited for installing a solar photovoltaic (PV) system are those buildings that have been designed & constructed to use energy in the most efficient way possible–from an environmental […]
Renewable Energy Target (RET) review will soon be underway: What are the implications for solar PV?
The Renewable Energy Target (RET) is one of the most important policy mechanisms for renewable energy in Australia, and it is arguably the only one that affects every player in […]
QBotix: Robot-controlled tracking systems for ground-mounted solar systems
QBotix is a company offering a revolutionary approach to ground-mounted solar systems through its solar tracking technology. The QBotix Robotic Tracking System (RTS) employs intelligent, self-charging, track-mounted robots (“SolBots”) which adjust […]
How does your LGA fare for rooftop solar? Check out the APVI’s solar map
The Australian Photovoltaic Institute (APVI, formerly APVA) has debuted an interactive solar PV status map on its recently re-launched website. The map, which uses data from the Clean Energy Regulator […]
Solar PV Price Index–Dec 2013
Nationwide, average system prices across all solar system sizes (1.5kW-5kW) increased slightly between November and December, although this trend was not as noticeable with 3kW–5kW systems as with 1.5kW and 2kW system. […]