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 […]
Gum-like electrolyte makes Li-ion batteries safer
An icky-sticky wad of chewing gum under your shoe is definitely annoying, but what makes gum sticky may soon keep your laptop or grid storage battery from exploding. Researchers at Washington […]
REC Agents Association analysis: Renewable Energy Target helps reduce power bills for everyone
The solar industry has launched its campaign to save industry incentives by releasing a new analysis that demonstrates the cost of the those incentives on household bills is effectively zero. […]
NRDC and US utilities team up in calling for additional fees for rooftop solar system owners
In response to more families solar-powering their homes, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) has joined forces with US power utilities in a petition to charge these consumers a fixed […]
With Renewable Energy Target review underway, solar industry takes facts into battle
The review of the federal Renewable Energy Target is now officially underway–and it will be ‘extensive’. The government, having made clear on numerous occasions its intentions of eliminating ‘green tape’ […]
In a first, Tindo Solar exports Australian-made panels to India
Tindo Solar, the South Australia-based company that lays claim to the title of ‘Australia’s only solar panel manufacturer’, has recently begun shipping orders of solar panels to India. If all […]
New silicone-based AR coating promises 7% higher PV energy output
Glass anti-reflection coatings have been the low-hanging fruit for improving PV module efficiencies, but reaching for it requires the right mix of low-cost approaches and smart science. Researchers at the […]
Solar power for Chernobyl exclusion zone
Chernobyl is notorious as the site of the world’s worst nuclear power disaster. The 1986 explosion and meltdown in the Ukraine released vast quantities or radiation over the USSR and […]
Solar Choice now offering 2nd commercial solar PV finance package
Commercial solar power is one of the fastest-growing sectors for the solar industry in Australia, with more and more businesses turning to solar photovoltaic (PV) technology to insulate themselves against rising electricity […]
Suntech’s Professor Zhenrong Shi visits the Solar Choice office
Solar Choice was recently approached by Suntech to arrange a visit for the company’s founder Dr Zhenrong Shi–one of the most widely-recognised names in the global solar industry–to the Solar […]
USA’s SunPower realises falling costs through improved manufacturing efficiencies
Top solar PV manufacturers are still reporting large gains in efficiency and manufacturing processes that are delivering cost reductions of 20 per cent or more a year. It is widely […]
Sugar powered fuel cells for a solar-powered economy
Excessive sugar consumption might be a big no-no for the health-conscious, but according to a recent paper published in Nature Communications, what’s bad for you might be the perfect fuel […]
China cuts back on coal fired energy
Anyone who is part of Australia’s resource boom would have you believe that our nation’s future rides on the back of our abundant coal resources and indeed, recent submission to […]
How you can help save Australia’s Renewable Energy Target
Renewables are currently in the hot seat as electric utilities lobby to eliminate or weaken the primary incentive mechanism left in Australia that supports them: The Renewable Energy Target. It’s […]
Taking a punt with solar thermal
In February 2014, the largest solar thermal power station in the world came on line, the Ivanpah Solar Power Facility. Erected in the Mojave desert just 64kms from Las Vegas, […]
Solar PV Price Index–February 2014
Average prices for systems of all common sizes included (1.5kW-10kW) in almost all cities have increased this month, with 1.5kW systems rising the most. Systems in Canberra appeared to undergo a decrease […]
New electrode technology claims to make sodium batteries worth their salt
Researchers at Kansas State University have developed a new composite paper electrode for use in sodium-ion batteries, potentially revolutionizing the design of sodium-ion batteries and getting them one step closer […]
Electric vehicles could save the utility business model–and make solar worthwhile
Electric vehicles have suddenly become a matter of huge interest for energy utilities in Australia, because it seen as a way of ensuring continuing demand for generators and networks, and […]
Crescent Dunes, the world’s largest solar plant with molten salt energy storage, begins commissioning
The biggest solar tower plant with molten salt storage has begun commissioning in the northern desert region of Nevada. The 110MW Crescent Dunes project includes 10 hours of storage, and […]
‘Community solar’ offers another way to own solar panels in the US
Even for those who are fully onboard in their support of renewable energy and understand how it can save them money, finding a meaningful way to take advantage is not […]
Areva and Schneider Electric to partner on hydrogen storage for remote areas
France’s Areva and Schneider Electric have entered a partnership to develop systems for energy storage using hydrogen fuel cell technology. The partnership pools the expertise of the two companies to enhance […]
Paper and PV: Wood pulp-based material boosts organic PV efficiency
Solar cells today are made from a wide cocktail of materials, from earth-abundant materials (Silicon and Carbon) to exotic rare earth metals (Indium, Gallium, etc), and from polymers to organic […]
US Department of Energy: $30m for 12 hybrid solar projects
The US Department Of Energy (DOE) will provide funding for 12 major hybrid solar projects that are still in the R&D phase. The agency will provide $30 million to be used […]
Market for module-level power electronics set to grow five-fold in 2017
Greentech Media Research (GTM) has recently released a report that predicts the module-level power electronics (MLPE) market to grow five-fold by 2017, singling out 2014 to be the landmark year […]
GMO Capital founder says wind and solar will replace fossil fuels–more quickly than expected
On of the world’s leading funds managers, GMO Capital co-founder Jeremy Grantham, has warned of the dangers of investing in new fossil fuels, saying it is certain they will be […]
University spin-off builds South Africa’s first CIGS manufacturing line
A spin-off company from the University of Johannesburg, Photovoltaic Technology Intellectual Property (PTiP), has recently commissioned a pilot production line for CIGS thin-film solar module production in collaboration with long-term […]
Chinese government to weed out shoddy panel manufacturers
Let’s face it: a lot of good stuff comes out of China and we probably all have something in our life that is functional and was bought at a lower […]
Japan’s Sumitomo to deploy used EV batteries as storage for solar farm
A large scale storage facility that will be attached to a solar farm in Japan is about to test the theory that re-used batteries can offer an effective, and cheap, […]
RESA’s VoltLogic attains AS4777 standard certification
Renewable Energy Systems Australia (RESA) has received approval for its VoltLogic to be connected to the grid under the Australian standard for solar system inverters, AS4777. The certification is of […]
US commercial energy storage market to grow 5-fold by 2020: GTM
Driven mainly by increased uptake of solar PV systems, the US commercial energy storage market is ripe to grow from 120 megawatts (MW) in 2014 to around 720MW by 2020–an […]
A breath of fresh air for CIGS: Siva Power’s 18.8% efficient cell
Siva Power, known as Solexant Corp until November last year, has announced a new high efficiency for the thin-film copper-indium-gallium-selenide (CIGS) PV technology it has been developing. The 18.8% efficiency […]
