A new US report has described solar energy as the new “shale,” predicting it will transform power markets, with large-scale solar expected to reach grid parity in nearly 75% of […]
Concentrated solar PV costs could match fossil fuel costs by 2030
The cost of generating electricity from concentrating solar PV plants could be cheaper than that generated from fossil fuel sources by as soon as 2030, a new report has predicted. […]
South Australians turn to solar amid rising retail electricity prices
In 2002, the South Australian government introduced sweeping reform in the electricity sector, allowing retailers to compete for customers. The basic idea was to give consumers a broader choice of electricity […]
2016 Obama budget could bolster US solar industry
The US solar sector stands to get a significant boost from the Obama administration’s 2016 budget draft, with a permanent extension of government tax credits for renewables proposed to Congress.Currently, […]
NSW’s Broken Hill solar farm to be completed by end of 2015
The Broken Hill solar plant in New South Wales will be completed as scheduled by the end of the year, according to a press release from the plant’s developer, utility […]
US utility giant NRG to offer ‘community-shared solar’ to customers
One of America’s biggest power utilities is set to co-develop more than 8 megawatts of community solar projects in a joint venture with Colorado-based community energy group, SunShare. The renewables […]
Labor’s landslide in Queensland election could spell sunny future for solar
Campbell Newman’s loss in the Queensland state election on the weekend could be solar’s gain, as attention turns to the Labor party’s renewable energy policy. Queensland’s Labor Party unveiled its solar […]
In sign of the times, both SuperBowl teams’ home stadiums have solar
The two NFL teams who competed in this year’s Super Bowl in the US this weekend have solar systems installed at their home stadiums, new research has revealed. According to data […]
Two produce companies first to benefit as CEFC & Comm Bank team up to finance commercial solar
A $100 million financing facility established by the Clean Energy Finance Corporation and the Commonwealth Bank has helped two major Victorian produce suppliers install 100KW of solar PV each, cutting […]
USA will have 28GW of solar installed by end of 2015: SEIA
The continued surge in US solar growth could boost the nation’s accumulated capacity to 28GW by the end of 2015, new research has predicted. In a recent presentation by America’s […]
World’s largest solar-powered desalinisation plant to be built in Saudi Arabia
The world’s first large-scale solar powered water desalination plant is set to be built in Saudi Arabia, after a local company revealed it would build a $130 million facility alongside […]
Panel maker Suntech expands reach to energy storage, performance monitoring & off-grid renewables
Suntech Power is well known in Australia as a solar panel manufacturer. Now a subsidiary of Shunfeng International Clean Energy Ltd. (formerly Shunfeng Photovoltaic International Ltd.), the company has installed […]
The untapped potential of Australia’s capital cities
In the first part of this series, we outlined the enormous potential for Australia to become a solar energy exporter for the southeast Asia region. In fact, we are so […]
Solar Citizens’ ‘Solar Scorecard’ shines light on solar-friendly politicians, could sway QLD election
Queensland burgeoning number of solar households could play a major role in the outcome of last weekend’s state election, according to research released by Solar Citizens this week. The data, compiled by […]
Three Massachusetts landfills go solar with GameChange’s Pour-in-Place Ballasted Ground mounting system
Three solid waste landfills in the US state of Massachusetts will go solar using GameChange racking’s innovative Ballasted Ground mounting system. The new power plants, which together will have a capacity […]
Solar in Clubs – round one installations complete for Clubs NSW
The first round of installations for the ‘Solar in Clubs’ project is nearing completion, and the participant clubs have begun sending us images of their installed solar PV projects. Solar […]
Swiftly dropping renewable energy prices present ‘a historic opportunity’: IRENA
The International Renewable Energy Agency – IRENA – is calling on the governments to start making sensible decision about the future of energy, based on real assessments of technology costs. […]
Commercial PV Price Index – January 2015
Echoing residential solar system price trends since the end of last year, commercial solar system prices have remained remarkably steady since November 2014 and January 2015. While there was some price […]
Rooftop solar and energy efficiency accounted for nearly 90% of national electricity demand reduction in 2014
Gone are the days where the conventional, fossil fuel driven electricity industry were thought to be unstoppable. Green Energy Markets annual review of the National Electricity Market states that solar […]
Powershop aims to revolutionise retail electricity with interactive, data-on-demand approach to billing
Powershop, recently featured in an article in the Age, is an online electricity retailer that allows its customers to be active players in the retail electricity market in a way […]
Largest solar PV plant in Middle East to deliver record-low electricity prices
Energy companies and analysts believe that the energy revolution taking place across the world could be accelerated – rather than derailed – by the collapse in the oil price because […]
Unsubsidised solar will be cost-competitive with fossil fuels in 80% of global market by 2017
Within 2 years solar systems will be at grid equality, in up to 80 per cent of the global market, and the oil price will do nothing to slow down […]
Australia outshines US on per-capita solar installations in 2014
A rooftop solar system was installed every 2.8 minutes in 2014 in Australia, nearly as many as the US even though it has just a fraction of the population. According […]
PV systems boost US property value by an average of $18,000
A recent report by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in the US quantifies the increase in property values for US homes fitted with rooftop PV systems. The study found that the […]
ARENA study counts the many roads to renewable energy integration
Listening to the debate on renewable energy in Australia, one could be mistaken for thinking that the idea of integrating wind and solar into our existing electrical infrastructure is pure […]
Solar Choice Commercial brokers 30kW solar array for OMNI Connect in Carrum Downs, VIC
The Solar Choice Commercial team has brokered a 30kW solar system for Victoria’s OMNI Connect. OMNI Connect is a telecommunications carrier and internet service provider based in Carrum Downs. The company approached […]
Residential Solar PV Price Index – January 2015
Average residential solar system prices have held steady into the new year since flattening out in November of last year. Canberra is home to the most expensive systems, while Perth is […]
Australia’s great electricity price swindle: How the networks got away with billions in overinvestment
Last year, Jess Hill of the Monthly published an enlightening but damning report, called Power Corrupts, on the state of the electricity industry in Australia. Her main topic of investigation is whether the sharp […]
Solar panels after 25 years: Is there an afterlife?
Price drops in recent years have made the idea of investing in PV extremely attractive, with or without subsidies. In well-designed and well-utilised systems, the investment pays itself off in […]
Floating solar power: Floatovoltaics, Liquid Solar Arrays and Solar Islands set to change the way we look at solar
Floating solar projects have headlines in in a number of cleantech publications for the past few years, thanks mainly to their novelty, the ingenuity of their approach and their often […]
Solar Choice’s Mount Majura Solar Farm, edging closer to completion, will use QBotix’s sun-tracking robot technology
Solar Choice’s Mount Majura Solar Farm has again been the subject of an article by the Canberra Times‘ John Thistleton. The most recent article provides an update on the progress of […]
