Australia’s national energy regulator has given the nod to electricity market reforms that will make it cheaper, easier and faster for households and business to invest in and install clean […]
Tag: Queensland
Australian households lead the way in solar PV investment
Australian households accounted for nearly two-thirds of total investment in renewables in Australia in 2013, and virtually all of it in 2014, according to research by Bloomberg New Energy Finance. […]
Energy storage both opportunity & threat as regional grid operators look to shrink assets
The head of Australia’s Energy Networks Association has predicted that grid operators in Queensland and Western Australia are likely to offload some of their extensive “poles and wires” networks. The […]
Solar PV system prices for April 2014
Average 1.5kW solar system prices appear to have plateaued between March and April after steadily rising over the course of the last 8 months or so, while prices for 2kW […]
Rooftop solar: Queensland’s 6th largest power plant
The combined capacity of rooftop solar arrays in south-east Queensland, the area managed by the energy distributor Energex, has now surpassed 800MW, making it the sixth biggest generator in the […]
Zero Export Device ZED 1 approved for grid-connect solar systems
Queensland-based GNT Engineering Pty Ltd has developed a device that will enable solar system owners & operators to limit the amount of solar power that their systems export to the […]
NSW’s Wallerawang the latest coal plant to close amid falling electricity demand & wholesale prices
The solar industry – and the changing dynamics of the Australian electricity market – has claimed its biggest victim yet, with the formal closure of the 1,000MW Wallerawang coal-fired power […]
Are Australian solar homes getting a fair deal? QLD & NSW vs Minnesota
Australian solar households are beginning to ask themselves if they are getting a good deal for the excess solar electricity that they export back to the grid during day time […]
Queensland solar feed-in tariff rates set at 6.3¢/kWh-8.7¢/kWh
Households in Queensland regional areas will receive a feed in tariff of between 6.3c/kWh and 8.7c/kWh for electricity exported back into the grid. The price has been announced by Queensland […]
WA’s Horizon Power says distributed solar & energy storage may play big role in grid’s future
Horizon Power, the utility that provides power to regional and remote parts of Western Australia, has recognized that the future of electricity is likely to form around distributed power, and […]
Five billion reasons why independent power makes sense
Australia. Often described as modern, sophisticated and of course, sunny; a country with 22 million smiling and suntanned jokers. What you may not know is that almost half a million […]
Solar PV Price Index–March 2014
Between February and March, average 1.5kW and 2kW solar PV system prices continued their steady rise in all cities included in the PV Price Index except for Adelaide, while pricing […]
QLD’s new ‘unfair’, market rate solar feed-in tariff could mean customers go off-grid
Some 40,000 Queensland solar households will soon be at the mercy of their electricity retailer after the state government confirmed it would axe the state’s 8c/kWh feed-in tariff at the […]
Queensland 8c/kWh solar feed-in tariff will be cut (as scheduled) from July, 44c/kWh rate safe
The Queensland government will remove the 8c/kWh solar feed-in tariff rate guaranteed to solar system owners who signed up after the state’s 44c/kWh was closed to new applicants. Solar households […]
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 […]
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 […]
Commissioning of Kogan Creek ‘Solar Boost’ project delayed until 2015
Australia will have to wait another year before witnessing the start of production from its first large scale solar thermal energy plant, following delays at the 44MW Kogan Creek solar […]
Solar homes & businesses meeting more than 10% of daytime electricity demand in WA, SA & QLD
The influence of rooftop solar PV on Australia’s electricity grids is growing steadily, highlighted by recent data that shows households and businesses are supplying more than 10 per cent of […]
Utilities & generators pushing for weaker small-scale Renewable Energy Target
The rooftop solar PV industry in Australia is likely to see some or all of its tariff support and other incentives removed because of pressure on the government from leading […]
2013: The Australian year in solar
2013 was a huge year full of ups and downs for the solar industry globally and in Australia. What were some of the most important milestones, events and trends of […]
Government intentions to dilute the RET becoming clearer
The government’s intention to dilute the strength of the country’s Renewable Energy Target (RET) has become clearer, with Prime Minister Abbott accusing the scheme of ‘causing pretty significant price pressures’ […]
The impact of rising wholesale fuel costs on Queensland’s electricity prices (and the rest of Australia)
Regulated electricity prices will rise in Queensland next year, and the carbon tax and other renewable energy support schemes have been widely blamed as the main reason for these increases. […]
Queensland electricity prices set to rise again from 2014: QCA draft decision released
The Queensland Competition Authority has released its draft decision for regulated electricity prices from July 2014. Although the decision is still in draft form, precedent dictates that the final version […]
How does your LGA fare for rooftop solar? Check out the APVI’s solar map
The Australian Photovoltaic Institute (APVI, formerly APVA) has debuted an interactive solar PV status map on its recently re-launched website. The map, which uses data from the Clean Energy Regulator […]
Latronic Sunpower: Australian-made grid-connect and stand-alone inverters
Latronic Sunpower is a Queensland, Australia-based inverter manufacturer that operates globally. The company has been in business for over 27 years. The company makes inverters for residential, commercial and industrial […]
Are solar panels still worth it in Queensland? 100MW of new installations say ‘yes’
In a bit of good news for the Queensland solar scene, the state has become the first in Australia to achieve 1 gigawatt (GW) of rooftop solar capacity, according to network […]
Sunshine Coast council to invest huge solar farm
The Sunshine Coast, living up to its name, is looking into building one of Australia’s largest solar farms yet. If all goes to the council’s plan, the project will turn […]
Australia hits 1 million solar homes
The number of Australian homes that have installed a solar photovoltaic (PV) system surpassed the 1 million mark in March, according to the Clean Energy Regulator. This milestone, while not […]
Queensland’s solar feed-in tariff changes highlight the popularity of solar PV
The Queensland Competition Authority (QCA) has released its final report concerning the future of the state’s Solar Bonus feed-in tariff incentive scheme. Although the QCA’s new feed-in tariff rate recommendations–at […]
Queensland electricity prices to rise again in 2013/2014: QCA
The Queensland Competition Authority (QCA), the state government body that regulates electricity prices, recently released a draft determination indicating that electricity rates will be allowed to rise by as much […]
Solar Choice PV Price Index – March 2013
Previous Solar Choice Photovoltaic (PV) Price Indexes for 2013 reveal an industry in transition. Solar PV Prices in January were significantly more expensive than in December 2012, as a result of the […]
