Home: Renewable Energy News: November 2009

Renewable Energy News

NOVEMBER 2009 | View archive list |

Monday 30 November, 2009

Suntech vs. Sanyo - The Solar Panel Battle For Japan - Suntech and Sanyo, leading manufacturers of solar panels, have been beating the corporate drums recently over their plans to increase market share in Japan.
Germany Faces Solar Power Component Shortage - Coupled with Germany's feed in tariff program, demand for home solar power systems in recent weeks has grown enormously due to significant price reductions; threatening a solar panel and power inverter shortage in the country.

Friday 27 November, 2009

Harvesting Hydrogen With Solar Power - Some companies have made great inroads in utilising renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power in the hydrogen harvesting process.

Thursday 26 November, 2009

Australia's "Green Start" For Low Income Households - Environment Minister Peter Garrett yesterday provided details of a new $130 million initiative called Green Start, designed to assist low-income and disadvantaged households in Australia in their water and energy efficiency efforts; including better access to renewable energy options such as solar power.
Sunpower Announce Solar Farm Projects - Canadian based energy company Etrion Corporation and and SunPower Corp. recently announced an agreement to build four solar farms, totaling four megawatts, in the Puglia region of southern Italy.

Wednesday 25 November, 2009

World's Largest Wind Farm For Sweden? - A Swedish firm has its sights set on constructing and operating a massive wind farm in the country, consisting of 1100 wind turbines capable of generating between 8 and 12 terawatt hours annually.

Tuesday 24 November, 2009

Sanyo's Solar Powered Prefab Homes - Sanyo Homes Co., a subsidiary of Sanyo Electric Co., recently announced it will begin selling prefabricated environmentally friendly homes that include full home solar power systems.

Monday 23 November, 2009

Central Victoria Solar Farm Open Days - The first of two Central Victoria Solar City Solar Parks had its open day on Saturday. The Huntly solar farm in Bendigo welcomed visitors for a guided tour of the facility. The other solar farm is located in Ballarat and will have its open day this Saturday, November 28th, from 12.30 - 3pm.

Friday 20 November, 2009

Major Renewable Energy Projects In Australia - Report - According to the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics (ABARE), at the end of October 2009 there were nine major renewable energy projects in Australia at an advanced stage of development and 80 less advanced renewable energy projects.

Thursday 19 November, 2009

Ice Battery - Renewable Energy Storage - During 2009, we've reported on all sorts of possible alternatives to traditional deep cycle batteries for renewable energy storage.Introducing another possibility - the ice battery - and it's already on the market.
Largest Wind Farm In New South Wales Officially Opened - Capital Wind Farm, the largest wind farm in New South Wales, was officially opened yesterday. The facility will boost Australia's wind power capacity by more than 10 per cent.

Wednesday 18 November, 2009

Western Australia's Strategic Energy Initiative 2030 - Western Australia's Energy Minister, Peter Collier, has released a discussion paper entitled "Strategic Energy Initiative 2030" to provide direction for addressing the energy challenges facing Western Australia over the next two decades.
USA and China Team Up On Renewable Energy - In a joint initiative to accelerate clean energy development in both countries, US President Obama and Chinese President Hu yesterday announced a package of measures.

Tuesday 17 November, 2009

Suntech's Solar Panels Power On - Suntech announced yesterday its first U.S. manufacturing plant for solar panel production would be located in the Greater Phoenix, Arizona area and that it expects to develop approximately 20% of the 91MW of solar projects that were approved under China's Solar Rooftop Program.

Monday 16 November, 2009

Solar Power Installer Crackdown - The number of complaints against solar power installers has increased over the last few months according to the Clean Energy Council, leading to a crackdown on monitoring by the organisation.

Friday 13 November, 2009

Solar Farm Expansion Draws Schwarzenegger Praise - US companies Aerojet and Solar Power, Inc. yesterday announced they had inked an agreement to add an additional 2.4 megawatts to the solar farm currently installed at Aerojet’s Sacramento, California site.

Thursday 12 November, 2009

IEA Urges Increased Renewable Energy Investment - According to a new report released by the International Energy Agency (IEA), the longer the delay on real action on carbon emissions, the more the costs of transforming the energy sector will increase.
Utah's Largest Wind Farm Operational - First Wind has celebrated the completion of the first phase of its Milford Wind Corridor project. Located in Utah, the first phase of the project will generate 203.5 MW of clean energy, making it not only the largest wind farm in the state, but also the largest renewable energy facility in Utah.

Wednesday 11 November, 2009

NSW Solar Bonus Scheme Applauded - There has been positive reaction to the recent announcement from the New South Wales Government that the State's new Solar Bonus Scheme will pay 60 cents per kilowatt hour to owners of home solar power systems for all electricity generated.
Westpac Offers Interest Free Green Loans - Westpac is the latest financial institution in Australia to partner in the Federal Government's Green Loans program.

Tuesday 10 November, 2009

Newsflash - Gross Solar Feed In Tariff For NSW - The NSW Government has decided to switch from a net solar feed in tariff to a gross model for its Solar Bonus Scheme, meaning that all electricity generated by a solar power system will attract a premium payment.
New Wind Power Record For Spain - Recent blustery conditions in Spain saw records tumble for wind power production in the country.

Monday 09 November, 2009

Solar Feed In Tariff Review For South Australia - The South Australian Government has announced it will conduct a review of its solar feed-in tariff scheme and is calling on feedback from interested parties.
Coal - Does Australia Really Need It? - What would a coal-less Australia look like? Is it even possible economically in the short term?

Friday 06 November, 2009

Apricus Solar Hot Water Featured At Decathlon - Solar hot water systems made by Apricus were used by seven of the twenty teams that competed in this year's recent Solar Decathlon in Washington, DC, the company reports.

Thursday 05 November, 2009

Newsflash: COAG To Review Renewable Energy Certificate Market - In news just in from Senator Penny Wong's office, an announcement has been made that a Council Of Australian Governments (COAG) review into the Federal Government’s Renewable Energy Target will consider factors that may be causing the plummeting value of Renewable Energy Certificates.
$16.4 Million Green Building Fund Project Grants Announced - 37 green building projects announced earlier this week by Senator Kim Carr, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, will cut greenhouse gas emissions by around 38,000 tonnes annually.
Solar Thermal Molten Salt Project For California - A proposed solar farm will use concentrating solar power (CSP) technology and while that's nothing new, it will include a molten salt "battery" energy storage system.

Wednesday 04 November, 2009

From Coal Jobs To Solar Hot Water Careers In The LaTrobe - Latrobe Valley unions representing members working in the coal industry are developing a project to kick-start a factory producing solar hot water systems by next year.
Victoria To Gamble Billions On Clean Coal - Documents leaked to The Age reveal the Brumby Government is about to take a multibillion-dollar gamble on ''clean coal'. The news comes after a recent revelation that the Victorian Government also wishes to export millions of tonnes of brown coal, the filthiest of fossil fuels, from Victoria each year.

Tuesday 03 November, 2009

Report: Go Solar, Go Local - A recent report suggests that every state in the USA could generate a significant percentage of its electricity with home-grown renewable energy. This report also poses some interesting points relevant to Australia's Solar Flagships program, which will see $1.5 billion spent on just four major solar projects.
Maldives 75MW Wind Farm Announced - The Maldives' state-run electric company, Stelco, has announced a 75 megawatt wind farm project to be constructed on Gaafaru Island, North Male' atoll.

Monday 02 November, 2009

Renewable Energy Feed In Tariffs Vs. Emissions Trading - According to a study by Deutsche Bank’s Asset Management (DeAM) division, emissions trading hasn't stimulated renewable energy investment or energy efficiency and governments should instead focus on introducing feed-in tariffs.

News archive for 2010

News archive for 2009