Home: Renewable Energy News: April 2010

Renewable Energy News

APRIL 2010 | View archive list |

Thursday 29 April, 2010

Wind Powered Bacardi Rum
Barcadi rum is the favourite tipple of many Australians and now the spirit will be a little bit greener courtesy of wind power.

ACT Solar Power Feed In Tariff Program Revised
Following advice from the ACT Independent Competition and Regulatory Commission, Minister for Energy, Simon Corbell, announced early this month revisions to the ACT's solar feed in tariff.

Wednesday 28 April, 2010

CSIRO's Brayton Cycle Solar Power Tower
Australia's CSIRO has announced it is constructing the largest solar-power tower of its type in the world at the National Solar Energy Centre in Newcastle.

ETS Fallout - Electricity Prices And Generation Projects
While Australia's Emissions Trading Scheme has been shelved until 2013, electricity prices are still set to rise - and investment in new power generation projects could also be impacted as a result of the ETS delay.

SHCP Rebate Solar Power Installation Backlog Update
In March, the PV Directorate warned of a looming bottleneck relating to SHCP rebate solar power installations. According to Energy Matters, recent installation rates reports from the Department Of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency paint an even grimmer picture.

Gravel Batteries For Wind And Solar Power Storage
UK-based Isentropic says it has designed a system that uses the company's Isentropic heat pump to create electricity from energy stored in gravel in a thermal form - a thermal battery.

Tuesday 27 April, 2010

SMA Solar Inverter Factory's Energy Efficiency Award
SMA Solar Technology AG has received the 2010 International Energy Efficiency First Place Award for its carbon neutral solar inverter factory, located in Kassel, Germany.

Monday 26 April, 2010

Pensioners, Solar Power And Feed In Tariffs
A recent news story has created uncertainty among pensioners regarding the income they receive from solar feed in tariffs. According to Energy Matters, while feed in tariffs would be counted as income for social security purposes, that doesn't mean to say pensioners would have their benefits cut or even reduced

Solar Power Microloans Addressing Energy Poverty
Based on a concept made popular by Kiva, Energy In Common is focusing on micro-financing what it calls "solar entrepreneurs" - families and businesses in developing countries wanting to acquire small solar power systems.

Sunday 25 April, 2010

UK Achieves 1 Gigawatt Offshore Wind Power Milestone
The UK's first gigawatt of offshore wind energy capacity was achieved last week when two wind farms off the coast of Britain began generating electricity.

Thursday 22 April, 2010

Obama Offered Free Solar Power For White House
24 years after Jimmy Carter's solar hot water panels were removed from the White House roof by the Reagan administration, President Obama is being called upon to reinstall a solar power system on the iconic building to demonstrate a greater Presidential commitment to solar energy.

Insulation Scheme Scrapped, Solar Hot Water Rebate Stays
The Australian Federal Government has formally announced a decision to not proceed with the insulation component of the Renewable Energy Bonus Scheme, but has stated the Solar Hot Water Rebate component will proceed.

Wednesday 21 April, 2010

40 Years Of Earth Day
Forty years ago on April 22, 1970, 20 million people participated in the first Earth Day event in the USA. One billion people around the world will be involved in the event this year.

Solar Farm For Alice Springs Airport
Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, Senator Penny Wong, yesterday announced $1.132 million in funding for a $2.264 million solar farm project at Alice Springs Airport.

Tuesday 20 April, 2010

Sphelar - Spherical Solar Cells
Japan-based Kyosemi Corporation has developed a spherical solar cell the company says captures light from all directions and can be used in soft film substrates, allowing for their use in a variety of applications.

NSW Proposes Changes To Wind And Solar Power Planning Approvals
Solar farms and wind turbines in residential areas that meet strict noise limits may soon be able to be approved in New South Wales in just 10 days; or in the case of rural areas, may not require planning approval.

Monday 19 April, 2010

Suntech Pluto Solar Panels Power Sydney Town Hall
Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd. has provided 240 of its Pluto technology based solar panels for a 48kW rooftop installation on Sydney's Town Hall. The installation is part of an $18 million initiative to improve the energy efficiency of city-owned properties in Sydney.

Sunday 18 April, 2010

The Woes Of Big Wind Power
Compared to the environmental impact of fossil fuel sources and even nuclear power, issues with harvesting wind energy may seem relatively minor, but large scale wind farms run into more than their fair share of red tape when attempting to get established.

Thursday 15 April, 2010

A World Run On Low Carbon Energy No Pipe Dream
The myth of low carbon and renewable energy sources not being able to supply the majority, if not all, the developed world's electricity requirements in the near future is being busted almost weekly in recent months.

1.2 MW Solar Panel Array For University of Queensland
Queensland Premier Anna Bligh today announced a grant of $1.5 million towards a $7.75 million University of Queensland solar power project that the University says will be Australia's largest and most powerful array of solar panels.

Wednesday 14 April, 2010

Solar Power Systems In Queensland Increase By 2400 Percent
The number of grid connected solar power systems in Queensland has increased 2400 per cent in less than two years.

Ritar To Provide Battery Backup Systems For World Expo 2010
Ritar Power Corp announced yesterday it has been selected to provide deep cycle battery based energy storage systems for the Brazil Pavilion at the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai.

Tuesday 13 April, 2010

Queensland Re-launches Solar Hot Water Rebate Scheme
The Queensland Government announced yesterday a new rebate for eligible householders who replace an electric hot water system with a solar hot water system or heat pump.

Lawn Mowing Service Taps Solar Power
In the USA, 5 - 10% of the nation's air pollution has its origins in the operation of petrol powered lawn equipment. A Colorado company is addressing the problem by using equipment such as electric lawn mowers powered by renewable energy.

Monday 12 April, 2010

Solar Powered Car Drives Over Frozen Arctic Ocean
Solar powered car XOF1 has become the first vehicle of its type to traverse one of world's longest ice roads.

Sunday 11 April, 2010

Ontario Announces 2,500 MW Green Energy Projects
184 new contracts for large clean energy projects have been approved in the Canadian province of Ontario. The projects combined could generate more than 2,500 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 600,000 homes.

Friday 09 April, 2010

Wake University Granted Fiber Solar Cell Patent
Wake Forest University in North Carolina has been granted a patent for new solar-cell technology that it says can double the electricity output compared to flat solar cells on the market today.

Thursday 08 April, 2010

Solar Power Expert Joins Queenland Climate Change Council
Queensland Premier Anna Bligh has appointed a leading expert in solar energy technology to the state's Climate Change Council.

Wednesday 07 April, 2010

Google Petitions Obama On Energy Efficiency
Search engine giant Google was one of dozens of companies and organisations that were signatories of a letter to US President Barack Obama calling on giving every household and business access to useful and actionable information on their energy use.

Australia : A Clean Energy Superpower By 2050?
A massive retirement of coal-fired power generation plants is looming in Australia and globally. This presents the nation a unique opportunity to move away from the filthy fossil fuel for generating electricity and fully embrace it's range of renewable energy resources.

Tuesday 06 April, 2010

South Australia Wind Energy To Power Past 1,000 Megawatts
South Australian Premier Mike Rann says his state's position as a leader in renewable energy will be reaffirmed when the 1000th megawatt of wind power capacity is brought online by July this year.

Australia's Solar Inverter Shortage Update
Australia is used to droughts and one relating to solar power is causing headaches for consumers and solar companies throughout the country - a shortage of grid connect inverters. This is allowing other quality manufacturers such as Xantrex to gain a foot in the door in the local market - and unfortunately also some brands without such a good reputation.

Monday 05 April, 2010

Solar Pebble To Provide Light And Power For Poor Africans
The Solar Pebble is an innovative solar powered lamp to be launched for use in rural Africa as a humanitarian product; but also to be sold elsewhere for camping applications under a "buy one here, support us there" model.

Sunday 04 April, 2010

A Desertec Solar Farm Could Help Power Australia
Siemens' 'Picture the Future: Australia – Energy and Water' states a single solar farm located in central Australia could meet the national electricity demands of the nation during daylight hours.

Thursday 01 April, 2010

1200 Buildings : Energy Efficiency Initiative For Melbourne
In an initiative announced on Wednesday, the City of Melbourne and the State Government have set a goal to retrofit 1200 of Melbourne’s commercial buildings to make them more energy efficient.

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