Officials in the Coalition have hinted that the government is unlikely to seek to eliminate Australia’s Renewable Energy Target (RET) and that a compromise with the Opposition in which the […]
Category: Solar Choice News
Solar Choice’s news service about local, national and global developments about solar photovoltaics and related technology.
Solar PV Price Index – September 2014
Average residential solar system prices took a dip across the board between August and September, with almost no instances in which they increased. The trend was likely spurred by the recent […]
Royalla Solar Farm developer FRV to quit Australia if RET Review recommendations implemented
The global solar developer behind Australia’s largest solar farm has warned that it would up cease doing business in this country if the Abbott government implemented the recommendations of the […]
Nearly 3000 new small-scale rooftop solar system installed in Queensland in August
Households in Australia’s sunshine state of Queensland continue their rush to rooftop solar, with the latest data showing another 2,794 systems of 5kW or less were added during the month […]
Lazarus, with an Abbott bypass: What PUP’s support means for the RET
Palmer United senator Glenn Lazarus last week reaffirmed his party’s support for Australia’s Renewable Energy Target following the release of the RET review panel’s report recommending that the scheme be […]
Colourful options for India’s solar future: Beehives, pigeons, horses and/or elephants
India has the potential to grow its solar PV capacity by more than 140GW over the next decade if it chooses the right policy path, a new report has found. […]
RET review recommendations would kill commercial solar market if implemented
Australia’s commercial-scale solar market would quickly evaporate if the federal government adopted the policy changes recommended in the RET Review report, industry insiders have warned. Solar PV installers and analysts […]
Global renewables industry could face 5 year downturn due to policy uncertainty and mixed market signals: IEA
The global renewable energy industry was headed for a five-year downturn, if governments and utilities in developed countries didn’t rise to the challenge of increasing deployment, a new report from […]
What the Renewable Energy Target review panel’s report means for those thinking about going solar
The panel tasked with reviewing the Renewable Energy Target has recommended that the scheme “should be substantially reformed” in its report on the topic released yesterday, confirming earlier reports to this effect. Among the more […]
Over 30% of SA electricity came from renewables in 2013/2014, 1 in 4 homes now have solar
South Australia has delivered on its 2020 renewable energy target six years head of schedule, with the state’s share of wind and solar nearing 33 per cent in 2013/14. Official […]
Samoa gets 546kW solar PV plant as South Pacific solar usage grows
South Pacific Island efforts to reduce dependence on costly and polluting diesel fuel continue, with the installation of 546kW of solar PV across the islands of Samoa – the independent […]
UNSW’s ‘stacked’ silicon-perovskite technology promises to double solar cell efficiency
An innovative solar project being developed by researchers at the University of New South Wales is aiming to more than double the efficiency of solar cells. The project, headed up […]
As solar industry braces for RET review results, solar boom looks imminent
The Australian Solar Council, in preparation for the the announcement of the recommendations of the Renewable Energy Target (RET) review panel, has urged installers across the country to ‘sell solar’ in […]
Vector say NZ solar customers motivated by environmental & energy independence concerns
A New Zealand energy network operator has challenged the view among established utilities that saving money is the main motivation behind the growing uptake of rooftop solar. Vector, which runs […]
Google drives inverter innovation with $1M challenge
Google has recently launched a $1M dollar competition aimed at miniaturising DC‑to‑AC inverters. The competition is open to all groups and contestants are asked to design a 2kW inverter with […]
Electric vehicles will help revolutionise solar & home energy independence: UBS
Electric vehicles and the proliferation of battery storage will solve the problem of intermittent supply for rooftop solar, and make it viable without subsidies, a new report has predicted. The […]
Aussie renewable energy industry speaks out against PM’s anti-RET intentions
Australia’s renewable energy industry has hit back at reports the Prime Minister is pushing for the Renewable Energy Target to be abolished, warning that this would leave the nation “dead […]
SunPower to trial solar leasing program in Australia
America’s second-largest PV manufacturer, SunPower, is set to test its rooftop solar leasing program in Australia, with the launched this week of a pilot program in Melbourne. The Nasdaq-listed solar […]
Coalition would need to ‘get the Greens convinced’ in order to abolish RET: Palmer
In an encouraging sign that he will not be backing down (or backflipping) on his promise to support the Renewable Energy Target (RET), Clive Palmer has sarcastically commented that the Coalition will […]
Solar PV and renewables save water
A report released last month by the CNA Corporation think-tank has detailed the massive reductions in water usage that solar PV and other renewable energy technologies enable. Often disregarded as […]
Silex Systems, citing RET uncertainty, suspends plans for Mildura 100MW demo CPV plant
Plans for a first-of-its-kind, 100MW concentrated solar power plant in Mildura have been shelved, after the Australian Renewable Energy Agency agreed with the project’s developer to withdraw funding. The plant, […]
Government still looking to scrap RET rather than ‘compromise’ and weaken it: Financial Review
The Australian Financial Review, in a front-page article on the topic, says that the Prime Minister and his closest cohorts still harbour intentions of scrapping the Renewable Energy Target (RET) […]
Sharp enters energy storage market with SmartStorage
In a major boost to the growing market for grid and renewable energy storage, Japanese PV manufacturer, Sharp, has recently debuted a new grid connect energy storage solution dubbed ‘SmartStorage’. […]
Citigroup: Energy diversification a necessity, solar’s rise a certainty
A leading investment bank has predicted a bright future for the global solar market, with continued rapid expansion driven by “pure economics.” In a new report from Citigroup, the bank […]
ARENA to put $450k towards development of Aussie-designed portable hybrid solar generator
An Australian-designed, off-grid renewables solution is a step closer to being realised, after winning further funding from ARENA. The Australian Renewable Energy Association has announced it will put $450,000 towards […]
Record efficiency for UCLA ‘plastic’ tandem solar cell
Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) have set a new record for organic polymer solar cells, with a device efficiency of 11.5%. The record-breaking ‘plastic’ solar cell […]
16,000 new rooftop solar systems installed in July 2014, including 14MW commercial capacity
More than 16,000 Australian households and businesses installed rooftop solar systems in July, adding a total of 70MW of small-scale PV capacity to the national total. The latest data from […]
Setting a record, South Australian renewables met half of state’s electricity demand in July
Solar power and wind energy combined to produce nearly half of South Australia’s electricity demand during the month of July – a record for a major developed economy. Data shows […]
Phinergy extends electric car range with metal-air battery technology
Phinergy, an Israeli battery technology start-up, and aluminium producer, Alcoa, have recently revealed a prototype electric car with a 1,100-mile driving range that is powered by Phinergy aluminium-based metal-air battery […]
UNSW solar car sets new speed record
The ‘Sunswift’ solar car team, comprised of engineering students from the University of NSW (UNSW), have set a new record for the fastest electric vehicle (EV) over a distance of […]
China ups solar PV capacity target to 13GW, with focus on distributed generation
China has flagged a new national solar installation target of 13GW for 2014, a target it hopes to meet through the development of distributed PV generation. The new target – […]
