Brazil’s first “solar only” energy auction has attracted bids among the lowest in the world, bringing the South American nation closer to achieving the world’s cheapest solar contract prices – […]
Category: Solar Choice News
Solar Choice’s news service about local, national and global developments about solar photovoltaics and related technology.
IKEA’s love affair with solar extends deeper into Europe
IKEA has again shown itself to be a leader in retail innovation by announcing the sale of PV systems in its stores in The Netherlands. IKEA has also outlined plans […]
Tesla looking to power Australian ‘supercharger’ stations with solar PV
US electric vehicle company Tesla Motors is looking to power its Australian network of EV supercharging stations with solar. Tesla Superchargers currently allow Model S owners to travel for free between […]
Sunshine Coast Council moves close to building Australia’s largest solar farm
The development of Australia’s first local government-owned utility-scale solar farm is one step closer to being realised, after the lodgement of a updated development application this week. Queensland’s Sunshine Coast […]
Low bids in Indian auction show utility-scale solar is cheaper than imported coal
The results of India’s latest solar auction have confirmed that solar PV is cheaper than imported coal when it comes to generating electricity for Indian users. A tender for 500MW […]
South Australia’s Tonsley industrial site to become home to Australia’s largest rooftop solar plant
South Australia could soon boast Australia’s largest single rooftop solar array, with the government this week issuing a call for proposals to install PV panels on up to 25,000 square […]
Australia still lagging behind other nations in uptake of large-scale solar
Australia is still lagging behind the pace on large-scale solar, with the latest data revealing it has not moved from its position at number 31, behind the Dominican Republic, despite […]
Coalition maintains position on ‘real 20%’ RET, but could small-scale solar take the hit instead?
Although it may to some degree be a matter of political posturing in order to ensure room for negotiations, the Coalition government is quite vocally holding firm on its call […]
Enphase to release modular battery storage units
Enphase have released details of their plug-and-play AC battery storage units, designed as part the Enphase ‘Energy Management System’ (EMS). They are designed to be easily installed and modular, such […]
Over 1 gigawatt of new solar was installed under small-scale RET in last 14 months: Green Energy Trading
Continued uncertainty over the future of Australia’s Renewable Energy Target has boosted the nation’s uptake of rooftop solar, according to a new report, helping to push the total amount installed […]
Renewable Energy Target state-of-play: What you need to know
Sydney Morning Herald Environment Editor Peter Hannam has provided a lucid overview of where things stand with the Renewable Energy Target (RET). The piece is worth a read for anyone who […]
Super-fast charging for new lithium ion battery
Researchers at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore, have developed a fast‑charging long‑life lithium ion battery which has the potential to significantly boost electric vehicle (EV) and portable electronics performance. The […]
32 rural NSW Councils band together to pilot SEXI solar projects
A local government initiative in NSW is proposing the development of six solar projects, to showcase and test a variety of photovoltaic and concentrating solar thermal technologies. The initiative, spearheaded […]
Report shows path for Victoria to generate jobs, revenue through clean energy-friendly policy
Victoria could save tens of millions of dollars and generate hundreds of jobs by tweaking current policy settings on small-scale solar and energy efficiency, a new report has found. The […]
Coalition draws lines for start to negotiations on Renewable Energy Target’s future
The Coalition has come out swinging–albeit not as furiously is it might have–in negotiations over the future of the Renewable Energy Target. Key to the Government’s initial position on the […]
USA distributed solar PV costs dropped 12-19% in 2013
The price of distributed solar PV systems in the US dropped by between 12 and 19 per cent in 2013 – and will likely fall by up to 12 per […]
APVI slams Australian Energy Market Commission over unfair, ineffective tariff structures
The Australian Photovoltaic Institute has issued a scathing critique of proposed guidelines for electricity network pricing and tariffs, arguing that instead of reducing consumer bills, the new regimes will simply […]
Thermal electricity storage inspired by hang-gliders
UK‑firm ‘Isentropic’ has developed a pumped heat electricity storage (PHES) system for cheap and convenient distributed grid storage, with a projected levelised cost of storage (LCOS) below industry‑leading hydroelectric storage. […]
Energy storage steadily gaining steam globally, as coal looks set for a long, slow decline
Even as Tony Abbott spruiks reactionary about coal’s benefits to humankind, a massive revolution is undoubtedly underway in the world’s energy sector–whether he cares to acknowledge it or not. Renewable […]
Australian Energy Regulator warns networks: Accommodate prosumers or they will ‘walk away’ & go off-grid
The rise of the energy “prosumer” will lead to a revolution in Australia’s energy market, the Australian Energy Regulator says – and the consequences for some in the industry could […]
Magellan power’s Solar Smoother deployed at Carnarvon’s new Police Complex
WA-based power product engineering company Magellan has seen its Australian-made Solar Smoother put to use for the first time at a new Police and Justice Complex in regional WA. Carnarvon, whose […]
‘The Green Electricity Guide’ reveals electricity retailers’ stance on renewable energy
Earlier this year Greenpeace released ‘The Green Electricity Guide’ – an online resource aiming to “help inform Australians about which electricity retailers really are as [environmentally-friendly] as they say they […]
Xenophon, while withholding comment on RET, says small-scale solar should be expanded
As the Abbott government attempts to wrangle its proposed changes to the Renewable Energy Target, the future for the solar industry brightened a little, after independent senator Nick Xenophon signalled […]
Fluidised bed reactors to enable low cost silicon solar cells
In order to make crystalline silicon solar cells, cell producers need micron-thin wafers of exceptional purity. The majority of base silicon material–referred to as ‘polysilicon’–used for producing high purity silicon […]
Who owns the generation capacity in Australia? WattClarity takes a look
A chart recently published by electricity market watchdogs WattClarity yield fascinating insight into where Australia’s electricity originates–and who owns the power plants that produce it. Abundantly clear in the chart–which […]
Energy storage costs could beat conventional generation costs by 2017
The cost of battery storage could beat that of conventional energy generation within two to three years and could go as low as $100/kWh, a new report has found. In […]
China leads as world solar PV market approaches 20GW in Q4 2014
New data on global solar installations has shown that the world is on track to reach 200GW of cumulative capacity, with the amount of PV added in the fourth quarter […]
Prof Ray Wills says 80% of world’s energy needs will be met through self-generated renewables by 2040
A WA academic and energy advisor has predicted that 80 per cent of the world’s energy will come from self-generated renewable energy, like rooftop solar, by as soon as 2040. Ray […]
PM’s cabinet considering rejection of RET Review recommendations: Financial Review
The Prime Minister’s office looks set to disregard the key recommendations handed to the government by the Renewable Energy Target Review panel last month, according to the Australian Financial Review, with […]
‘Socket parity’ just around the corner for solar-plus-storage in many countries: Citi
Solar power could reach “socket parity” in some countries as soon as 2020, and utility-scale grid parity in large parts of the world by 2030, according to a major new […]
Japanese PV installers choosing wooden racking for solar panel ground-mounting
PV installers in Japan are increasingly opting to use wooden racking for large ground-mounted installations as a way of improving overall environmental appeal and stimulate the local forestry industry. Japanese […]
