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 […]
Solar PV Price Index–March 2014
Between February and March, average 1.5kW and 2kW solar PV system prices continued their steady rise in all cities included in the PV Price Index except for Adelaide, while pricing […]
QLD’s new ‘unfair’, market rate solar feed-in tariff could mean customers go off-grid
Some 40,000 Queensland solar households will soon be at the mercy of their electricity retailer after the state government confirmed it would axe the state’s 8c/kWh feed-in tariff at the […]
ANU builds on R&D reputation in joint development of IBC solar cell with Trina
In a joint effort with Chinese PV giant Trina Solar, Australian National University has helped to achieve a new “milestone” in solar research, with the development of a new high-efficiency […]
New JA Solar panels mark entry of black silicon technology
JA Solar has recently launched two new high-efficiency PV modules at the recent PV Expo in Japan: the 285W PERCIUM module and the 270W RIECIUM module. The announcement marks the […]
Queensland 8c/kWh solar feed-in tariff will be cut (as scheduled) from July, 44c/kWh rate safe
The Queensland government will remove the 8c/kWh solar feed-in tariff rate guaranteed to solar system owners who signed up after the state’s 44c/kWh was closed to new applicants. Solar households […]
US solar market grew 41% in 2013: GTM Research & SEIA
4.7GW of solar PV capacity was installed in the United States in 2013–with about half of this coming online in the final quarter alone, according to a year-in-review report by […]
Big changes ahead for Australian solar
2014 will be a watershed year for the Australian solar industry, and consumers will feel the impacts one way or another. The fate of Australian companies who participate in this […]
SA Premier visits Tindo Solar plant to talk renewables support as election looms
In a show of support for both local jobs and the renewable energy industry, South Australian premier Jay Weatherill paid a visit to Tindo Solar‘s manufacturing plant this week. The […]
