Here’s an amazing fact; the 30,000 ATM’s around Australia use as much energy each year as around 5,300 average Australian homes! ATMs are a classic example of low hanging fruit; […]
Prediction: Some utilities will adapt, many will perish
We have a lot to thank the electricity industry for, let’s be clear about that. Energy has transformed our life and brought wealth and health to billions of people. But […]
Texan start-up offers plug-in DIY solar kit for the US market
Nothing says self-reliance and (energy) independence quite like a do-it-yourself (DIY) solar system. And, as a US start-up, Plugged Solar, would like to convince you, nothing says easy DIY better […]
Yingli Green Energy will return to profitability in third quarter of 2014
Chinese solar giant Yingli Green Energy has announced that it doesn’t expect to return to profitability until the third quarter of 2014 – a year later than some of its […]
Energy storage: are we there yet?
As a solar industry analyst, technologist and electric motorcycle owner, you would expect me to be optimistic about where storage is up to. The reality is, every time I turn […]
Could Palmer United Party support for renewables save the RET?
Update: Clive Palmer has contradicted his WA PUP senate candidate Dio Wang, saying the RET should not be mandatory. It is unclear what his party’s official stance on renewables is. […]
Toshiba’s SCiB batteries to be deployed in Japan’s remote islands
Toshiba Corporation recently announced an order for its innovative SCiB batteries for a large-scale renewables/storage project on remote islands in Japan. The systems were installed by Kyushu Electric Power Co. […]
Solar stocks shining according to HSBC index
As solar manufacturers claw their way back from a two-year market slump, solar stocks are outshining all other sub-indices in the global market to deliver the best returns over the […]
IMEC reaches record 8.4% cell efficiency for fullerene-free organic solar cells
Belgian research institute, Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre (IMEC), has achieved a record-breaking 8.4% efficiency for its new organic solar cell made without fullerenes, marking yet another step towards making organic solar […]
Who will own the batteries? GSES suggests some ways utilities can adapt to the rise of distributed generation
Although we’re still waiting for it to happen, everyone in the Australian renewable energy sector is talking (a lot) about energy storage and its supposedly massive potential to revolutionise how […]
Minnesota’s ‘Value of Solar’ approach to net-metering: A model for Australia?
The solar industry in Australia has not been without its share of political & policy calamities. Government policy–especially on the state level–must appear to both those inside and outside the […]
Victron Energy’s ECOmulti: Energy storage for small-scale solar systems
Grid-connected energy storage for solar PV systems has become a hot topic in 2013 as energy storage technology prices fall and retail electricity prices rise–seeming inexorably. Meanwhile, feed-in tariff rewards have […]
Rooftop solar power system prices in Sydney, NSW: How much does a system cost?
Sydney, NSW is home to some of the lowest solar power system prices in Australia. This article takes a look at solar PV prices and how to get the most […]
Construction begins on huge, 1.1GW solar PV plant in China
The first phase of one of the largest solar power plants in the world has begun in China’s Gansu province. 300MW of a planned total of 1.1GW is expected to […]
New energy storage incentive program in Japan will cover 2/3 of install costs
Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) has introduced a generous incentive for lithium-ion energy storage that could reduce energy storage system installation costs by up to 2/3. This […]
GTAT announces new bus-bar-free interconnection technology
GT Advanced Technologies (GTAT) has announced a new metallization and interconnection technology for solar modules (trademarked ‘Merlin’) that is expected to significantly slash module manufacturing and installation costs. Terming the […]
WA’s Horizon Power says distributed solar & energy storage may play big role in grid’s future
Horizon Power, the utility that provides power to regional and remote parts of Western Australia, has recognized that the future of electricity is likely to form around distributed power, and […]
How California could be 100% renewables-powered by 2050–with 50% from solar
A blueprint for 100 per cent renewables in California by 2050 – prepared by Stanford Professor Mark Jacobson, suggests that more than half of the electricity will come from various […]
Huge solar power boom likely in India following election
Optimistic solar power providers in India are predicting that a change in government in May could deliver a massive boost in solar spending and infrastructure over the next decade. The […]
Survey of US homeowners reveals strong support for solar that crosses political boundaries
Echoing the results of similar surveys of Australians, a recent poll conducted by Zogby Analytics for US solar giant SolarCity and Clean Edge, the vast majority of American homeowners are […]
A head-turning snapshot of global transformation underway with solar & energy-storage
The amount of information and volume of news reports about the changes underway in the world’s electricity system can be overwhelming. It seems that almost every day there is some […]
US Energy Secretary hints energy storage could be on par with oil boom in disruptive capacity
United States Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz has hinted in an inverview with Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) that energy storage has the potential to dramatically change the way that electricity […]
Uncertainty over future of renewable energy support mechanisms driving investors away from Australia
Australia is in danger of losing investors in clean energy options such as solar and wind energy, and in carbon abatement, because of the uncertainty around environmental legislation. Several key […]
IRENA aims to forge a roadmap for energy storage deployment
It seems that everyone in the renewable energy industry is talking about electrical energy storage, which promises to unlock the potential for the rapid expansion of renewable energy technologies. But […]
BenQ Solar claims title for world’s lightest crystalline silicon PV module
In response to increasing demand for light-weight modules in Japan, BenQ Solar, the solar division of Taiwanese semiconductor device manufacturer AU Optronics, has developed a new 60-cell crystalline silicon PV […]
Ghana could increase electricity capacity nearly 30% with huge solar project
We’ve written previously about the anticipated growth in Africa’s solar power sector. As Cleantechnica recently pointed out, just one of the countries making big solar plans is Ghana, which could […]
Battle for the RET begins in WA as Solar Council ramps up campaign
The Australian Solar Council will in the coming days unleash a massive ad campaign in Western Australia, where one of the key issues in the upcoming 5 April senate election […]
Researchers create colourful solar cells using hybrid organic-inorganic PV technology
Researchers at the University of Michigan have developed a new, eye-catching transparent photovoltaic cell using a novel mixture of organic and inorganic materials, thereby bringing colourful photovoltaics one step closer […]
German utility, posting €2.8b loss, says that decline of fossil fuels is ‘unstoppable’
One of the largest electricity utility companies in Germany, RWE, has posted its first loss in 60 years. RWE CEO Peter Terium said that the company had got its strategy […]
Khosla-backed Stion delivers 20% module efficiency with novel tandem technology
If the recent trail of new innovations is any clue, the race to find a new champion to boost the fortunes of thin film solar has never been more intense. […]
Five billion reasons why independent power makes sense
Australia. Often described as modern, sophisticated and of course, sunny; a country with 22 million smiling and suntanned jokers. What you may not know is that almost half a million […]
