The global renewable energy industry had a record-breaking year in 2015, according to the REN21 2016 Renewables Global Status Report, with 147GW of renewable generating capacity added worldwide – the […]
Tag: fossil fuels
Battery storage already competitive with fossil fuels – in the right circumstances: Report
A new report from US investment bank Lazard says battery storage is already competitive in some situations – particularly at the utility scale and in providing services such as frequency […]
Australian subsidies for fossil fuels are $5.6 billion annually: Report
A new international report by the UK’s Overseas Development Institute (ODI) has revealed that Australia is still subsidising fossil fuel production to the tune of a massive $A5.6 billion a […]
Could Turnbull follow the pro-solar example set by WA energy minister Nahan?
If new Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull needs guidance on how to get his more conservative Coalition members to embrace change in the energy market, he might use the example of […]
Complete phase-out of fossil fuels feasible by 2050: GreenPeace report
A new report has reinforced the view that there are no major economic or technical barriers to shifting the world to 100 per cent renewable energy; nor to the complete […]
Report says world must install 53GW of PV per year until 2020 to stop climate change
The world will need to install solar PV at an average rate of 53GW a year from 2013-2020 as it transforms its energy mix to prevent dangerous climate change, a […]
Fossil fuel subsidy reform “urgent as ever” for Aus, says IMF
The International Monetary Fund says fossil fuel subsidy reform is as “urgent as ever”, after the release of a report showing subsidies to the sector currently averaging at around $US1,000 […]
Utilty-scale solar will soon be competitive with fossil power in USA – even without tax credit
Utility-scale solar in the US is likely to become competitive with fossil fueled energy generation sources in a matter of years, even if current tax credits are removed. That is […]
Renewable-focused YieldCo finance will outstrip oil & gas equivalents
A new Deutsche Bank report has predicted renewable energy finance vehicles – known as “YieldCos” – will rapidly outgrow their oil and gas industry equivalents, and become and order of magnitude bigger […]
Renewables will be key in meeting global climate targets: HSBC report
Renewable energy technologies like solar and wind are now cost competitive with fossil fuels in many parts of the world, a new HSBC report has found, and will play a […]
Duke Energy plans for 500MW of solar in Florida by 2024
The US state of Florida will have up to 500MW of utility-scale solar capacity added to its electricity mix by 2024, in new plans revealed by power giant Duke Energy. […]
NSW Labor releases document detailing strong renewable energy support policy for state
NSW Labor has released a renewable energy-focused environment and energy policy, promising a fair price for solar and an emphasis on decentralised generation. The policy document, released on Tuesday, outlines around 10 major […]
Solar will be the dominant electricity source globally by 2030: Deutsche Bank
Solar will become the dominant electricity source around the world as it displaces fossil fuels and generates $5 trillion in revenue over the next 15 years, a new report has […]
Extension of Renewable Energy Target could trigger large-scale solar boom in Aus
A new report has warned that Australia could miss out on the booming global solar market – a market some say will be worth more than $130 billion by 2020 […]
Swiftly dropping renewable energy prices present ‘a historic opportunity’: IRENA
The International Renewable Energy Agency – IRENA – is calling on the governments to start making sensible decision about the future of energy, based on real assessments of technology costs. […]
Rooftop solar and energy efficiency accounted for nearly 90% of national electricity demand reduction in 2014
Gone are the days where the conventional, fossil fuel driven electricity industry were thought to be unstoppable. Green Energy Markets annual review of the National Electricity Market states that solar […]
Australia Institute report shows 80% of Australians favour solar, wind & other renewables over coal
The majority of Australians look forward to a future fuelled by renewables, new research has found, with many naming solar and wind as their energy sources of choice. In two […]
Enphase CEO: Australian solar market years ahead of USA, ready for energy storage
The CEO of the world’s biggest supplier of solar inverters has described the Australian solar market as having infinite potential, in a global market he predicts will wind up being […]
Belectric’s lead-acid ‘Energy Buffer Unit’ competing directly with combustion generators
Belectric have installed a 2 MWh lead-acid battery ‘Energy Buffer Unit’ (EBU) in Alt Daber (Germany) designed to provide primary operating reserve power. It is touted as the first solar PV […]
German utility giant E.ON splits in two in order to focus on renewables
Europe’s largest power utility has announced plans to dump conventional, fossil fuel energy generation and focus instead on renewables and customer-led distributed generation solutions. In what has been described as […]
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 […]
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 […]
‘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 […]
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 […]
Future of Utilities – Part 1: The death of base-load generators
As the uptake of renewable energy continues, solar and wind customers around the world are facing resistance from electricity utilities. The ‘Future of Utilities’ series aims to introduce various concepts […]
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 […]
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 […]
Siva Power aims to produce lowest cost PV modules at 28¢/W
Siva Power has announced plans to produce thin-film CIGS solar modules at a cost of US$0.28 per watt by around 2018. This figure represents the lowest manufacturing cost of any […]
Victorian electricity retailer set to hit solar system owners with additional fees
Victoria looks set to become the first Australian state to hit solar households with an additional fixed charge on their electricity bills, according to a proposal that has recently come […]
US solar PV installer SolarCity to start panel manufacturing with new 1 GW factory
Vertical integration and using economies of scale to push down prices are classic strategies in economics and ones that Elon Musk, chairman of US solar installer, Solar City, is hoping […]
SolarCity chief says solar growth will be ‘infinite’ once grid parity is reached
SolarCity CEO Lyndon Rive has forecast ‘infinite’ growth in the global solar market, as soon as unsubsidised solar PV is able to generate energy at a lower cost than traditional […]
