The Victorian Labor Party has nailed its renewable energy colours to the mast in the lead up to next week’s state election, pledging to reverse wind farm restrictions and help […]
Tag: energy storage
New AGL chief could bring fresh approach to solar, energy storage
Australia’s largest electricity generator AGL Energy has announced the appointment of US energy industry veteran Andrew Vesey to succeed outgoing managing director and CEO Michael Fraser in February 2015. The […]
Rooftop solar shifted peak demand to evening during Queensland heatwave
The combination of a sweltering November heatwave and rooftop solar helped shift south-east Queensland’s electricity peaks into to the evening last week. At the height of the heatwave that hit […]
Queensland network operator Energex says it can handle more solar
Queensland power company Energex has bucked the trend of network operators calling for a slowdown in rooftop solar uptake, saying it could cope with a significant increase in PV capacity, […]
Rooftop solar meeting 13% of household electricity demand in Queensland
Around 13 per cent of residential energy in south-east Queensland is now produced by rooftop solar, according to new data, with solar households generating the equivalent of more than half […]
ACT Enviro Minister Simon Corbell receives Banksia Sustainability Award for large-scale solar feed-in tariff program
The ACT government’s game-changing solar auction scheme has taken out top prize in this year’s Banksia Sustainability Awards, making it the overall winner of one of Australia’s most important environmental award ceremonies. […]
UBS analysis shows solar-plus-storage already viable in Australia
Cost-competitive solar plus storage has arrived in Australia, according to new analysis from investment bank UBS, bringing with it the potential to dramatically reshape the country’s energy industry. The analysis […]
Could more Japanese homes turn to energy independence to escape big utilities?
Echoing the situation here in Australia, more homes Japanese homes could end up leaving the grid to avoid purchasing power from utilities, according to a piece in the Japan Times. […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
360 Storage: Smart solar panel energy storage options for the Australian market
Solar PV system component wholesaler Solar 360 has recently launched its own branded line of energy storage products onto the Australian market under the banner of 360Storage, further widening the range of […]
Under the sea: ‘Energy Bags’ add to electricity storage options
Canadian firms Thin Red Line Aerospace and Hydrostor are set to trial underwater compressed air energy storage (UW‑CAES) systems off the coast of Toronto. As part of the process, electricity […]
Renewable microgrids could see boom in regional Asia-Pacific
Remote parts of the Asia Pacific region, including rural Australia, could soon see a boom in regional microgrids with heavy integration of renewable energy technologies, according to a recent report from […]
Solar Council launches new peak body for energy storage: Energy Storage Council
The Australian Solar Council has launched a new peak body for the energy storage industry. The newly minted Energy Storage Council will be administrated by the the Australian Solar Council, […]
Giant outback solar farm to electrify SE Asia: an idea so crazy it might just work
Would you believe me if I told you that we could power our nation’s energy use by covering less than 0.01% of Australia with solar panels? It sounds crazy but […]
Cheaper and lighter battery design a win-win for storage
UK-based Cenex have recently developed an electric vehicle (EV) battery that is 41% lighter than standard EV batteries. In addition to the reduced weight, the ‘EV-Lite’ battery decreases the cost […]
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 […]
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 […]
Solar panels & energy storage: What to consider
Energy storage is an option whose appeal is growing globally–and Australia is no exception. But energy storage is seldom considered as an option in isolate: the vast majority of those […]
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’. […]
Sonnenbatterie energy storage systems
Sonnenbatterie is a German manufacturer of energy storage devices with a focus on electricity self-sufficiency. The company, whose name means ‘solar battery’ in German, offers products that not only store […]
SunPower to offer commercial energy storage solution in Australia in 2015
Commercial energy storage systems could hit the Australian market as soon as next year, according to leading US solar company SunPower. SunPower, one of the world’s biggest PV module manufacturers […]
Electricity pricing structures must change to prevent mass grid defection: Energetics
Electricity utilities and network operators risk sending Australia’s rooftop solar households off-grid in droves if pricing signals remained unchanged, a solar and energy storage expert has warned. Gordon Weiss, from […]
Indian village leads the way in rural electrification with solar-powered micro-grid
A small village in one of India’s poorest states has becomes the nation’s first to meet 100 per cent of its own energy needs using off-grid solar power. Dharnai village […]
