Two separate research projects from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) and Soitec have set world records of over 40% solar cell efficiencies in the past week. The UNSW […]
‘Solar Insert’ by Nu-Lok Roofing replaces slate tiles
Nu-Lok Roofing is an Australian company that specialises in the installation of natural slate and ceramic tiles using the patented Nu-Lok Roofing system. Notable for the solar PV industry, however, […]
Australian rooftop solar capacity now over 4GW
Just days after data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics revealed one in five houses in Australia used some form of solar energy, new data has shown that the nation’s […]
Enphase CEO: Australian solar market years ahead of USA, ready for energy storage
The CEO of the world’s biggest supplier of solar inverters has described the Australian solar market as having infinite potential, in a global market he predicts will wind up being […]
Singleton Solar Farm to be resurrected as a community solar project after 15 years of dormancy
A 407kW solar farm first built by the NSW government more than 15 years ago is set to be switched back on. The Singleton Solar Farm in NSW’s Hunter Valley […]
Belectric’s lead-acid ‘Energy Buffer Unit’ competing directly with combustion generators
Belectric have installed a 2 MWh lead-acid battery ‘Energy Buffer Unit’ (EBU) in Alt Daber (Germany) designed to provide primary operating reserve power. It is touted as the first solar PV […]
German utility giant E.ON splits in two in order to focus on renewables
Europe’s largest power utility has announced plans to dump conventional, fossil fuel energy generation and focus instead on renewables and customer-led distributed generation solutions. In what has been described as […]
NSW councils & businesses come together to offer affordable on-site renewables & solar leases
A group of NSW municipal councils has joined forces to provide residents and small businesses with ready access to cheaper PV systems – including through a solar leasing option. Eight […]
Solar Choice delivers aesthetic 100kW solar power system for National Golf Club in Mornington Peninsula, Victoria
The National Golf Club (NGC) is now the proud owner of a sleek and majestic 100kW solar array installed across its clubhouse premises at Cape Schanck on the Mornington Peninsula, […]
10kW solar systems in Sydney: Compare prices & installers
Solar power is still a great investment option for Sydney homes & businesses, even after a number of changes to state and federal government incentives. 10kW solar systems have proven […]
Could Australian solar homes lose out under proposed ‘cost-reflective’ pricing?
Australia’s nearly two million solar households face changes to the way their electricity bills are packaged after the introduction of new rules requiring networks to impose “cost reflective” pricing. The […]
Victoria’s Labor party promises to reinstate emissions reduction target if elected
The Victorian Labor Party has pledged to set up a $20 million fund to encourage investment in renewable energy resources including solar and wind, just days before the state election […]
Indian PM releases bright assessment of sub-continent’s solar potential
The Indian government has identified 12 solar park locations capable of housing up to 13.75GW of capacity in the next five years, as it gears up to meet a national […]
GameChange racking for fast-rollout PV
‘GameChange’ has developed a fast-rollout PV racking system, among the quickest of its kind in the industry. The US-based company offers a ‘pour-in-place’ ballasted ground mounting system, especially suitable for […]
AGL’s chief economist calls solar subsidies a ‘hidden scam’ in conversation with Financial Review
One of Australia’s biggest energy utilities – and the nation’s biggest generator of coal-fired power – has described rooftop solar tariffs as a billion-dollar “scam” being paid for by non-solar […]
Fulcrum3D’s Australian-grown cloud monitoring solution wins ARENA grant
Australian-made technology that predicts cloud movements to help get the most out of solar panels is one of the latest recipients of funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA). […]
AES Energy Storage to build record-breaking battery bank
AES Energy Storage is set to construct the world’s largest battery bank in Long Beach, California. The 400 MWh energy storage facility – which can provide a peak power output of […]
Utility-scale solar to be competitive with new coal by 2020
Large-scale solar will be cost competitive with new coal-fired power stations in Australia by the end of the decade, the head of the Australian Renewable Energy Agency has predicted. ARENA […]
15,000 new small-scale solar systems installed monthly in 2014, but large-scale lags
More than 155,000 small-scale solar systems have been added across Australia in 2014, an average of more than 15,000 a month, according to new data. The data, the latest from […]
Is solar power still worth it in Sydney? Absolutely.
Is solar power still worth the investment in Sydney, NSW? This article takes a look at the case for investing in solar power in Sydney. Solar incentives for solar power […]
Sun MonitOZ’s hardware-free solar performance monitoring app launches in Australia
Sun MonitOZ, a hardware-free solar system performance monitoring app, has officially launched in Australia after its beta-testing phase. The web app, accessible via a computer or any mobile device, allows […]
Vic Labor party pledges support for renewables as rural towns turn to clean energy
The Victorian Labor Party has nailed its renewable energy colours to the mast in the lead up to next week’s state election, pledging to reverse wind farm restrictions and help […]
New AGL chief could bring fresh approach to solar, energy storage
Australia’s largest electricity generator AGL Energy has announced the appointment of US energy industry veteran Andrew Vesey to succeed outgoing managing director and CEO Michael Fraser in February 2015. The […]
Rooftop solar shifted peak demand to evening during Queensland heatwave
The combination of a sweltering November heatwave and rooftop solar helped shift south-east Queensland’s electricity peaks into to the evening last week. At the height of the heatwave that hit […]
Commercial PV Price Index – November 2014
Commercial solar prices continue to drop steadily month-by-month, according to data from the Solar Choice installer network. Prices in the tables below incorporate incentives available for systems up to 100kW in […]
Residential Solar PV Price Index – November 2014
Average residential solar system prices have leveled out, changing little between October and November according to figures from the Solar Choice installer network database. This follows about four months of […]
A gift from above: UAVs for solar farm quality control
BQ Energy has adopted Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) as monitoring tools for their solar farm projects. The ‘DJI Phantom 2’ UAVs are fitted with a ‘GoPro HERO3’ camera, allowing users […]
Queensland’s Energex suggests buyout of 44¢/kWh feed-in tariff recipients as alternative to network upgrades
A Queensland network operator has raised the prospect of buying back the high feed-in-tariffs locked by tens of thousands of rooftop solar households in the state in until 2028, so […]
Queensland network operator Energex says it can handle more solar
Queensland power company Energex has bucked the trend of network operators calling for a slowdown in rooftop solar uptake, saying it could cope with a significant increase in PV capacity, […]
Rooftop solar meeting 13% of household electricity demand in Queensland
Around 13 per cent of residential energy in south-east Queensland is now produced by rooftop solar, according to new data, with solar households generating the equivalent of more than half […]
ACT Enviro Minister Simon Corbell receives Banksia Sustainability Award for large-scale solar feed-in tariff program
The ACT government’s game-changing solar auction scheme has taken out top prize in this year’s Banksia Sustainability Awards, making it the overall winner of one of Australia’s most important environmental award ceremonies. […]
