The Suntech brand is staging a comeback, according to a press release from the company. Wuxi Suntech (colloquially referred to as Suntech but actually one subsidiary of Suntech Power Holdings […]
2014 global solar market will be supply-driven, says NPD Solarbuzz
2014 will at last the year that panel manufacturers begin to see their balance sheets return to the black, with analysts NPD Solarbuzz anticipating that demand for solar modules will […]
International Energy Agency says integration of wind & solar is possible and affordable
The International Energy Agency has blown away some of the key myths surrounding renewable energy, and which seem to be affecting policy development in Australia. In a report released last […]
Trina Solar and ANU announce highest efficiency yet for rear-contact PV cells
A long-term, multi-national research effort driven by Trina Solar has finally paid dividends, with the company announcing the development of a 24.4% efficient, all-rear contact silicon solar cell design that […]
Australian Solar Council introduces independent quality seal for solar panels
The Australian Solar Council has introduced its own seal of approval for solar modules. The voluntary “Positive Quality” program will go above and beyond the basic Clean Energy Council accreditation required […]
Microinverters & DC-DC optimisers to shake up solar PV market, confirms Navigant Consulting
Echoing the findings of GTM Research in a report released not long ago, the market for microinverters and DC-DC power optimisers is set to take off dramatically, predicts a new […]
FirstSolar’s CdTe thin-film 20.4% record cell efficiency now on par with multi-crystalline Silicon
First Solar announced a new world record for cadmium-telluride (CdTe) solar cell efficiency – 20.4%, a figure confirmed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). The new efficiency now matches […]
EU research project provides free, by-the-minute solar radiation data
Given the erratic nature of weather, is it really possible to predict exactly when, where and how strongly the sun shines? A group of European researchers seems to think so. […]
Are Australian utilities creating extra hurdles for rooftop solar?
A leading international manufacturer of solar inverters has suggested that Australian utilities are throwing up artificial barriers to slow down the uptake of rooftop solar in Australia. The Swiss-based SolarMax […]
EnergyAustralia: Rooftop solar to blame for falling wholesale electricity costs & demand
The explosion of rooftop solar PV has caused grief to another major incumbent utility in Australia, with EnergyAustralia, one of the big three utilities in the country, blaming it for […]
New pomegranate-like material boosts lithium-ion battery performance
In an interesting case of biomimicry, scientists at Stanford University and the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have designed a new electrode material for lithium-ion batteries using silicon nanoparticles clustered like […]
Climate Change Authority throws what weight it has behind the RET
Like the Carbon Tax, the fate of the Climate Change Authority (CCA) is more or less sealed, with the federal government having vowed to dismantle it once it gains control […]
With next phase of large-scales renewable scheme underway, ACT doubles target to 550MW
The Australian Capital Territory has stepped up its efforts to make renewable energy a reality, with plans to double the cap on its reverse-auction feed-in tariff for large-scale renewable projects […]
IEA says renewables cost-competitive with new-build fossil fuel plants in OECD nations
Solar and wind energy can play major roles in transforming and decarbonising the world’s electricity grids, and at little extra cost, according to the International Energy Agency. The IEA, a […]
The environmental impacts of coal power: The tale of Beijing, China and Morwell, Vic
The use of coal fired power has spawned an entire coal generation lasting more than 100 years. It got the industrial revolution going, has lit up our homes, powers our […]
Fossil fuel subsidies vs renewable energy subsidies in Australia: Get the facts
It seems that around the world with increasing regularity, we hear complaints from opponents of solar energy that “solar subsidies are too generous”. Without doubt, solar has received support over […]
Bill Gates-backed renewables storage battery begins production
Attracting the attention – and money – of Bill Gates is a big deal. But Aquion Energy, a battery technology start-up, has managed to woo not just the world’s richest […]
39% of Australians think Renewable Energy Target is ‘about right’, 25% ‘too low’ according to poll
The federal government’s ire towards Australia’s Renewable Energy Target (RET) appears to be seriously out of proportion with public sentiment regarding the incentive scheme, if the results of an Essential […]
2 new utility-scale solar power plants approved for Nevada and California
Solar panel manufacturer & solar project developer First Solar has finally received approval from the US Department of the Interior to build 2 utility-scale solar PV projects totaling 550MW in […]
Solar with energy storage already reaching grid price parity in some areas: RMI
A new study from the Rocky Mountain Institute finds that parity for rooftop solar and energy storage is closer than anyone thinks – in fact for some states in the […]
New, no-penetration solar panel mounting system for gable rooftops: SolarPod
Home owners with old or delicate sloped/gable roofs often hesitate to install solar panels on their roof. They worry that penetrating the roof may lead to water leakage or that […]
Brazil’s Solair will manufacture solar panels & inverters domestically
Brazilian solar installation company & PV project developer Brasil Solair has plans to set up shop domestically in order to take advantage of the market expected to grow thanks to […]
Nearly half of the global 95GW solar PV plant pipeline comprised of projects no larger than 5MW
Medium-sizes power plants will account for nearly half of the new solar PV capacity to be built in the world’s leading solar markets over the next few years, according market […]
Tesla battery factory could be game-changer for energy storage affordability
In a letter to shareholders about the company’s earnings, Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk announced plans for the electric vehicle manufacturer to begin producing its own battery cells at a […]
AVANCIS achieves record thin-film module efficiency of 16.6% using CIS technology
Riding on the back of recent advances in research, copper-indium-selenide (CIS) technology has received a shot in the arm with a new record efficiency – this time with commercial implications. […]
India’s Vikram Solar granted Tier 1 manufacturer status: Bloomberg New Energy Finance
Vikram Solar, an Indian PV module manufacturer, has achieved tier 1 status in the eyes of Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF). The company, which has been producing panels since 2006, is among […]
Benefits of rooftop solar to the electricity grid are clearly visible in South Australia
New data revealed by the network operator shows that the amount of rooftop solar installations has surged in South Australia, and it is having a real impact in shifting the […]
Germany to build world’s first modular, multi-technology battery storage system
Can’t decide on which battery technology to use for your next big energy storage project? Well, now you can use them all! A consortium consisting of researchers, an electric utility, […]
New research suggests roadmap for more efficient organic solar cells
A joint US-Belgian, multi-university research effort has shed light into the fundamentals of a key efficiency-boosting mechanism in organic solar cells. Researchers from Pennsylvania State University in collaboration with IMEC, […]
Origin Energy reports fall in energy earnings, citing solar PV, warm winter & energy efficient homes as main causes
The growing impact of solar PV on incumbent utilities has again been highlighted, this time in the results of Australia’s biggest “gentailer” Origin Energy. The company revealed in its half […]
Solar feed-in tariff rates for Queensland 2014: 7.55c/kWh for Brisbane & surrounds, variable elsewhere
The Queensland Competition Authority (QCA) has released its final report detailing its recommendations for solar feed-in tariff rates to be paid through the state’s Solar Bonus Scheme for 2014. Not […]
