Energy Matters News

This Week's News Stories (updated daily Mon-Fri):

Solar Boost For Tucson Coal Fired Power Station
An old fired coal fired power plant in Tucson Arizona that reportedly belches over a million tons of greenhouse gas emissions a year will be expanded soon; but this time, solar power will provide extra generation capacity.

Renewables' Big Contribution To EU 2011 New Energy Generation Capacity
The European Union set a new record for new power generation capacity in 2011, with renewable energy infrastructure making up over 70 percent of new installations for the year according to a report from the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA).

AUO Solar Panels To Power Pennsylvania Schools
AU Optronics (AUO) has announced a 9 MW solar power project in the Pennsylvania School District, which will be the largest solar farm in the state.

Solar Flagships Round 1 PV Funding Up For Grabs Again
With the Moree Solar Farm consortium unable to meet all of their funding conditions, the Australian Government has decided to open Solar Flagships Round 1's PV element for another round of bidding - and may well get far more solar bang for the Australian taxpayer's buck.

The Wrong Way To Australia's Clean Energy Future?
A controversial new report from the Grattan Institute examines the pathway to Australia’s clean energy future; recommending strategies that, according to Beyond Zero Emissions, are fundamentally flawed and would eliminate feed-in tariffs for solar power.

Honda And BMW Installing Solar Panels At Auto Facilities
Honda and BMW are among the latest auto manufacturers to begin incorporating on-site solar electricity generation at some of their facilities.

Forget Flagships, ACT's Solar Auction The Real Game Changer
The main game in the Australian solar industry has moved from the corridors of power in the Federal Parliament to the more modest resources of the ACT Legislative Assembly says Giles Parkinson.

ARENA Needed To Prevent Solar Flagships 'Mess' : Milne
Australia's Solar Flagships program has faced continual delays and problems, sparking a call from the Greens to expedite the setting up of the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) to take over the administration of the scheme.

Make Your Own Solar Panels Using Green Waste
Imagine using the solar energy captured by your lawn clippings to charge a mobile phone. That’s the aim of research currently being carried out at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

266kW Solar Panel System For Queensland's Hervey Bay Hospital
Energy Minister Stephen Robertson recently announced the completion of contractual arrangements to install a 266 kilowatt (kW) rooftop solar power system at Hervey Bay Hospital.

Mt Gellibrand Wind Farm Receives Final Approval
The Mt Gellibrand Wind Farm near Colac in south west Victoria recently received final approval from the Victorian government.

EU To Force Solar Panel Recycling
While initiatives for solar panel recycling in the European Union are already in place, the EU Parliament will amend guidelines for its WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) Directive to set a minimum for the number of modules recycled.

Intel The USA's Largest Consumer Of Wind And Solar Electricity
Computer chip maker Intel has again topped the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) list for use of green electricity.

Energy Matters To Present At Greening For Growth Forum 2012
The City of Port Phillip and Small Business Victoria have announced details of Greening for Growth Forum 2012.

Solar Assisted Car Carrier Shipping Electric Nissan Leaf
As the Nissan LEAF is shipped via the ocean to various ports, it's fitting that some of those electric vehicles will reach their destination via a solar power assisted ship.

Nuclear Fears Help Fuel Record Renewable Energy Investment
A new generation of renewable energy deals is elevating the global clean energy market to record high levels of investment.

Asia Pacific Solar PV Installations Grew 165% In 2011
The Asia Pacific region installed 2.8GW of PV in the final quarter of last year and looks set to grow an additional 40% in 2012. Unfortunately, Australia's outlook for solar panel installs isn't so positive.

US Solar Industry At Risk - CASE
A new economic analysis commissioned by the Coalition for Affordable Solar Energy (CASE) shows a 100 percent tariff on solar panel imports into the US would irreparably slow growth of the nation’s rooftop solar power sector.

Kyocera Unveils Home Solar Power System With Li-Ion Battery Storage
Incorporating lithium-ion batteries into energy storage for home solar power systems as a package solution is finally about to become a reality - in Japan anyway.

200MW Solar Updraft Tower Proposed For Western Australia
A Perth based company plans to construct a massive solar updraft tower in the Mid-West region of Western Australia.

Gamesa And NREL Collaborate On Next Generation Wind Turbines
The next generation of wind turbines could help ensure more reliable supply of clean energy according to an announcement of the collaboration between the US Department of Energy and one of the world’s largest designers and retailers of wind power technology.