‘Smart grid’ has been a buzzword in the renewable energy/electricity sphere for years now. A European pilot program – ‘Nice Grid‘ – seeks to make the renewables-friendly, distributed generation-centric microgrid dream […]
Labor Party to commit to 50% federal Renewable Energy Target by 2030
The Australian Labor Party will announce a commitment to supporting a Renewable Energy Target of 50% by the year 2030, according to an article in the Sydney Morning Herald and a press […]
Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary nabs record low PV tender below 4c/kWh
NV Energy (Nevada) and Austin Energy (Texas) last week agreed to two separate record-low solar farm PPAs below 4c/kWh. As the lower rate of the two PPA rates, NV Energy […]
In California, now anyone can sell power into the grid
California has cleared the way for homes and businesses to sell their stored electricity into the grid at a profit, thanks to new legislation that allows the aggregation of distributed energy […]
Solar Impulse 2 sets record, flies emissions-free across the Pacific
The Solar Impulse 2 (SI2) solar powered-aircraft has just set a new distance record for emissions‑free flight by flying non-stop from Nagoya (Japan) to Hawaii. The voyage took all of […]
Queensland’s Ergon announces tenders for 200MW of large-scale solar
Queensland network operator Ergon Energy is set to tender for up to 200MW of large-scale solar capacity, as well as to accelerate its push into battery storage and electric vehicles […]
Commercial Solar PV Price Index: July 2015
Commercial solar system prices for July 2015 remain steady at around $1.44 per watt ($/W) on average. 10kW solar system prices continue the gradual rise that began about three months […]
Solar-plus-storage already cheaper than grid electricity in Aus: BNEF
Rooftop solar and battery storage already offers a cheaper option for Australian households than electricity from the grid, according to a leading analyst from Bloomberg New Energy Finance. “Solar and […]
e*star electricity load monitoring: Understand your electricity usage
e*star is an electricity usage monitoring platform that allows users to understand their electricity usage in detail, giving its users actionable insights into their power consumption patterns. The company’s innovative […]
Residential Solar PV Price Index: July 2015
The average solar PV system price nationally continues to sit at about $1.85 per watt for the third month in a row, with prices for specific system sizes also remaining […]
Magellan Power’s affordable, Australian-made energy storage devices
Magellan Power is a WA-based developer of power electronics with a focus on distributed energy systems such as grid-connected rooftop solar panels. In addition to its solar smoothing and solar […]
NSW energy storage market could boom as Solar Bonus payments wind down at end of 2016
Changes to rooftop solar tariffs in New South Wales could see the state become a leader in the uptake of residential battery storage, as 160,000 solar households prepare to lose […]
SA government match funding for Adelaide City Council solar-plus-storage incentives
The South Australian government has pledged to match Adelaide City Council funding to provide incentives for businesses and households to install energy storage and energy efficiency solutions, as well as […]
ACT large-scale solar-plus-storage program receives 30 applications
The ACT government’s next generation solar program has been been swamped by 30 submissions representing 967MW of potential solar plus storage capacity in response to its call for expressions of […]
Government directs CEFC to cease investing in rooftop solar finance deals
The federal government has moved to nix the Clean Energy Finance Corporation’s plans to fund rooftop solar leasing schemes in Australia. Although the government’s directive – handed to the CEFC as […]
CEFC signs deal to bring affordable solar & energy storage loans to Australian homes
Australia’s Clean Energy Finance Corporation has signed its first major deal with a non-bank lender that will target cheap loans for low-carbon products including electric vehicles, rooftop solar arrays and […]
Solar system prices in Brisbane, Queensland
Approximately one quarter of households in Brisbane proper have a solar power system, according to the APVI’s solar map; the suburbs surrounding Brisbane have even higher solar penetrations. The number of systems […]
Obama administration announces plans to boost solar uptake in USA
America’s Obama administration has revealed plans to triple the amount of rooftop solar installed on low-income housing, and boost the development of community solar projects, giving renters and apartment dwellers […]
Three in ten SE Qld homes installing solar: Energex
Households in south-east Queensland are installing solar at a rate of three in 10, according to the latest data from network operator Energex, which now has a total of nearly […]
Average Australian solar system size up to 5kW: Sunwiz
The size of the average solar PV system has reached 5kW for the first time ever, according to industry analysts Sunwiz. The increase – up from 4kW in 2013 – […]
Suntech’s Shi says regulators must adapt to the reality of affordable solar
The UNSW scientist who became the world’s first solar billionaire has urged energy market regulators to catch up with renewable energy technology and encourage its rollout, instead of impeding it.“Solar […]
AC Solar Warehouse: Specialists in next-generation solar
Formed in 2011, AC Solar Warehouse is a specialist wholesaler of AC solar products and a champion of the use of microinverters and microinverter-integrated solar modules in Australia. The company […]
ARENA will move to fund Aussie utility-scale solar to bring Aus up to speed with rest of world
The Australian Renewable Energy Agency has flagged a new round of big solar funding, in an effort to bridge the cost-gap between large-scale solar projects in Australia and the US, […]
Solar energy battery storage in Queensland
Rooftop solar has proved itself to be immensely popular in Queensland, where roughly 27% of all homes have had a system installed, according to the APVI. But more and more Queensland homes […]
AKASOL’s neeoQube & neeoSystem: Solar energy storage solutions for Australian homes & businesses
AKASOL is a German manufacturer of lithium-ion batteries and grid-connect energy storage solutions whose ‘neeo‘ line of solutions has recently become available on the Australian market. The company’s neeoQube unit is […]
As retailers & regulators seek to protect revenues, next major battleground for solar emerges
Australia’s solar industry looks to have a major battle on its hands, as pricing regulators and utilities take action to protect revenues and make rooftop solar less appealing for consumers. […]
Solar Choice brokers winning bid on 100kW system for prominent retail chain premises in western Sydney
Solar Choice Commercial has successfully brokered the winning bid on a 100kW solar installation for one of the western Sydney locations of a major national retail chain. The completion of […]
SA announces $1.1m tender for energy storage on gov’t buildings
South Australia’s Labor government has announced a $1.1 million tender to install battery storage in several key government buildings, including parliament house and its flagship arts buildings in the North […]
VIC solar feed-in tariff faces further reduction
Victorian solar households face another cut to their solar feed-in tariff, after the Essential Services Commission recommended the rate for rooftop solar generation fed back into the grid be cut […]
Victoria, NSW will lead the way in residential energy storage uptake
NSW and Victoria will lead the adoption of battery storage by Australian households over the next two decades, the Australian Energy Market Operator has predicted. In its first ever analysis […]
Residential solar + storage system payback times: State by state
South Australian households planning to install rooftop solar and battery storage systems can look forward to the shortest payback period on the NEM, a new report by the Australian Energy Market […]