The French Parliament approved a new law that will require the rooftops of newly constructed commercial buildings to be partially covered with either plants or solar panels. The legislation – […]
Solar Citizens launch nation-wide Stand Up For Solar campaign
Australian solar lobby group Solar Citizens is calling for a higher renewable energy target and a fair price for solar, through the launch of a new year-long campaign that will […]
‘Virtual net metering’ trial program to allow Byron Bay Shire to sell solar to neighbouring sewage plant
The NSW government has confirmed its support of an “energy trading trial” that will allow Byron Shire council to sell output from a council-owned rooftop solar array to a neighbouring […]
Intelligent Energy Systems’ Prophet software sheds light on Australia’s electricity market
First introduced in 1997, Prophet is the most widely used simulation software in the Australian National Electricity Market (NEM). The software has also been used for studies of electricity markets […]
Coalition rejects 41,000GWh ‘compromise’ on Renewable Energy Target
Federal industry minister Ian Macfarlane has rejected the offer of a compromise on the Renewable Energy Target from the Clean Energy Council, saying his government would not budge above 32,000GWh. […]
Metal plating as a pathway to cheaper high-efficiency solar cells
The first instalment of this series outlined the technology developments which have kept screen printed solar cells on top of global PV sales. Despite its dominant position amongst most PV […]
Regional NSW SEXI solar plans get bipartisan support in senate
A local government plan to boost small and medium-scale solar development in regional NSW has received strong bi-partisan support in the federal senate, after being presented to them last week […]
UNSW PV Lighthouse tool lets solar engineers simulate cell manufacturing online
Solar industry engineers and students can now design and build virtual solar cells – experimenting in ways to maximise efficiency and minimise cost – after the launch of a new […]
Energy storage system manufacturer SolaX launches its second generation of ‘hybrid’ inverter
Energy storage system developer SolaX recently announced its plans to launch a second-generation hybrid energy management system (EMS). The SolaX X-Hybrid 2 features several new additions that promise to make it a […]
Coalition says cross-bench senators votes could help them weaken RET
The federal government will take renewable energy target negotiations to the cross-benchers in the Senate, after its “final” offer on the RET was rejected outright by Labor.In an interview with […]
APVI launches crowd-funding campaign to further develop Aussie solar map
The Australian PV Institute has launched a crowd-funding campaign to help finance the further development its live-mapping solar website, which charts Queensland’s solar installations by postcode and local government area. […]
Energy storage will boom amid burgeoning US solar market
Nearly 10 per cent of all solar systems in North America would have energy included in as little as three years’ time, a new study has found. IHS said on Monday that, […]
NSW installs more solar than QLD in Feb – thanks to booming commercial solar market
New South Wales has outshone the Sunshine State on solar, taking the crown from its northern neighbour as Australia’s biggest monthly market for rooftop PV installations. Data from two new […]
NSW Labor releases document detailing strong renewable energy support policy for state
NSW Labor has released a renewable energy-focused environment and energy policy, promising a fair price for solar and an emphasis on decentralised generation. The policy document, released on Tuesday, outlines around 10 major […]
IEA: In historic first, CO2 emissions flatlined even as economy grew – thanks to renewables
A halt in the rise of global carbon dioxide emissions, despite continued economic growth, is being hailed as a first by the International Energy Agency, and largely credited to the growth […]
Owning solar panels in ‘the cloud’
Cloud Solar is offering a new twist on the ‘traditional’ community solar model. Much like previous community-owned programs, the initiative offers ownership of individual panels within a larger solar […]
IEA outlines position with energy storage roadmap
The International Energy Agency has released their inaugural energy storage roadmap. A logical addition to their various renewable energy roadmaps, the report aims to project the role energy storage technologies […]
LGC price spikes as government comes closer to RET deal
Comments from within the Abbott government suggesting an agreement on the RET could come as soon as Easter have helped push prices of large scale renewable energy certificates (LGCs) to […]
Commercial PV Price Index – March 2015
Commercial solar system prices continued their subtle decline between February and March of 2015, according to pricing data from installers in Solar Choice’s network. All prices are net, incorporating incentives […]
SunEdison acquires energy storage firm Solar Grid Storage
Wind and solar developer SunEdison announced last Thursday its acquisition of Pennsylvania-based energy storage firm Solar Grid Storage (SGS) for an undisclosed sum. SGS is a startup specializing in integrated […]
NSW government contributes $50k to support potential community solar farm
The NSW government has awarded $50,000 towards an investigation into the feasibility of building what would be Australia’s largest community-owned renewables project – a 1MW solar farm in the southern […]
Google HQ to get green makeover
California-based tech giant Google has unveiled plans to give its Mountain View headquarters a green makeover, that will include the installation of translucent solar power-generating canopies. Plans submitted to the […]
Rooftop solar helps Queensland avoid new peak demand record
The temperature was not the only number that soared across Queensland on Thursday 5 March: so did power demand. As WattClarity’s Paul McArdle notes, electricity demand reached a peak of […]
Alice Springs grid could handle 10MW more solar without storage: ARENA study
A new Australian study has found that Alice Springs could boost its share grid-connected solar by 26 per cent without affecting stability or necessitating energy storage. The ARENA-backed study, which […]
36GW of large-scale solar power now installed globally
According the preliminary figures released by Wiki-Solar late last month, global utility-scale photovoltaics added 14.2GW in 2014, which doubled the 2013 total and brought total generating capacity to 35.9GW in […]
Residential Solar PV Price Index – March 2015
Average residential solar PV system prices for Australia’s capital cities fell slightly between February and March. Systems were dearest in Canberra, while Perth was home to the lowest prices. March 2015 […]
South-east Queensland rooftop solar capacity reaches 1GW mark
South-east Queensland’s rooftop solar market is fast approaching the 1GW mark, with a total of 281,811 systems now installed on detached homes, at a total capacity of more than 937MW. […]
Flow battery maker Redflow to build its first commercial system in Australia
Australian battery developer Redflow has sold a commercial-scale model of its zinc bromide flow energy storage system to its company director, tech guru Simon Hackett, who will couple it with […]
Australia’s first floating solar farm to come to South Australia
Floating solar technology has generated excitement all across the globe in recent years, and plans are now underway in Australia to build the country’s first such facility. The plant, which […]
US panel manufacturer Silevo moves into Solyndra’s production facilities
As demand grows and technology improves, the global solar industry is changing rapidly. One of the most telling tales of the transformations underway is the recent decision by American panel […]
Solar will be the dominant electricity source globally by 2030: Deutsche Bank
Solar will become the dominant electricity source around the world as it displaces fossil fuels and generates $5 trillion in revenue over the next 15 years, a new report has […]
