Home: Renewable Energy News: February 2011

Renewable Energy News

FEBRUARY 2011 | View archive list |

Monday 28 February, 2011

Enhanced Oil Recovery Using Solar Energy
Solar energy is making inroads in reducing the overall impact of extraction of crude oil and extending the economic life of aging oil fields

Solar Sails To Power International Shipping
a Japanese solar energy solutions company is working on a system that would install sails on ocean going vessels in the form of giant solar panels.

Friday 25 February, 2011

Solar Panels For Greenhouse Applications Unveiled
A new product appears to have solved the challenge of harvesting solar energy from greenhouse rooftops and could be used in other applications where light needs to pass through to the area below.

Thursday 24 February, 2011

Australia's Carbon Price Commencement Date Set
Prime Minister Julia Gillard has outlined the Government's proposal for a carbon price to commence on 1 July 2012 - pending negotiations with other parties and the ability to pass legislation this year.

Google Funds Transphorm Energy Efficiency Breakthrough
It's being widely reported this morning that search giant Google has become a financial backer of a device that promises far better efficiency in a range of electrical devices, including solar panels.

20th Century Fox Installs Solar Power
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation has installed a solar power system at their Los Angeles, California headquarters; a site that has produced some of the world's most popular films.

Wednesday 23 February, 2011

Super Stretchable Solar Skin Developed
A flexible solar cell that converts sunlight into electricity even when stretched is the latest breakthrough in the work of Stanford University’s Zhenan Bao.

Samsung Inks Solar Polysilicon Agreement With MEMC
Samsung Fine Chemicals (SFC) and MEMC Electronic Materials, Inc. have announced a deal to produce high purity polysilicon for use in products such as solar panels.

Turning Toxic Landfills Into Solar Farms
Communities across the USA are increasingly looking towards old landfills, which in total occupy hundreds of thousands of acres, to generate energy from commercial solar farms.

Energy Matters Video News - Episode 24 - February 23, 2011
In our first episode for 2011, Virginia covers Energy Matters' flood appeal donation, solar power systems and house fires, the Solar Flagships program saved from the chopping block and the expansion of the A.C.T's solar feed in tariff program.

Tuesday 22 February, 2011

Oregon Solar Panel Maker Scores $197 Million Loan Guarantee
The US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Loans Program Office is fast becoming the world’s leading green bank, guaranteeing $26 billion in loans for 23 separate clean and renewable energy projects across the continental USA.

Wind Powered Car Travels Across Australia
Wind Explorer, a lightweight vehicle powered by wind generated electricity and a large kite, has successfully crossed Australia.

USA's Largest Solar Dish Commissioned
A US solar energy company has announced the commissioning of North America’s biggest commercial solar dish, one of the largest concentrated photovoltaic solar (CSP) thermal dish collectors in the world.

Monday 21 February, 2011

Solar Power And Electricity Prices - Clearing The Air
It's been inaccurately reported this morning by some media sources that an analysis from the Australia Industry Group has pointed the finger at home solar power subsidy programs being a major contributor to electricity price rises.

Energy Matters' Flood Appeal Raises Over $5,000
National solar power solutions provider Energy Matters last week donated over $5,000 to the Queensland Premier's disaster relief appeal; a result of the company's recent fundraising efforts.

ACT Solar Feed In Tariff Expands To Include Medium Scale Farms
The ACT's generous solar feed in tariff program has been expanded to include larger solar farms and provide better access to the scheme for co-operatives, those renting and community groups.

Friday 18 February, 2011

Solar Panel Rebates - Cost Vs. Value
A recent study by an Australian newspaper has criticised the Government's solar panel rebate scheme, stating it is too expensive a form of carbon dioxide abatement. Others disagree.

Australia's Solar Flagships May Not Be Sunk
The federal government’s Solar Flagships program, which was to have faced the axe to help pay for damage caused by the Queensland floods, is now back on the national agenda after the Australian Greens agreed to support the Prime Minister’s flood levy.

Thursday 17 February, 2011

Solar Power Myth Extinguished By South Australia Fire Services
South Australia's Metropolitan Fire Service (MFS) and Country Fire Service (CFS) have released an official statement refuting an urban myth concerning how houses with solar power systems will be treated in a fire situation.

SMA Energises Its US Solar Academy
SMA, a global leader in the manufacture of solar inverters for grid connect and off grid solar energy applications, has announced enhancements to its SMA Solar Academy in the USA.

Thin, Flat Solar Power Concentrator Unveiled
Solar technology company HyperSolar Inc. say they have invented the world’s first thin and flat solar energy concentrator technology that could be incorporated by manufacturers of existing flat solar panels, claiming a electricity output boost of 300 percent.

Wednesday 16 February, 2011

Energy Matters At 2011 Melbourne Sustainable Living Festival
Melbourne’s Sustainable Living Festival is in full swing at Federation Square, running from the 12 - 27 February and national solar solutions provider Energy Matters will be attendance, offering great deals on renewable energy systems and accessories.

IMAX Sized Solar Generator
Makers of a new solar generator the size of an IMAX screen say it will revolutionise concentrated photovoltaic solar power in the USA.

EPIA Warns UK Government On Solar Feed In Tariff Review
The recently announced early review of the UK's feed in tariff program has created jitters in the solar industry and among investors, prompting a warning from the European Photovoltaic Industry Association.

Tuesday 15 February, 2011

Obama To Slash $46 Billion From Fossil Fuel For Clean Energy
The Obama administration's proposed budget for 2012 gives an indicator of just how much fossil fuels have been subsidised over the years, at the expense of renewable energy development.

Car Rental Giant Hertz Launches Solar Energy Initiative
Car rental giant, the Hertz Corporation, has announced it it rolling out 2.3 MW of solar power systems at sixteen locations in North America; with more likely to follow.

Monday 14 February, 2011

REC Solar Panels Power Hawai'i's Largest Farm
REC Solar has celebrated the commissioning of a 1.21 MW solar power facility in Hawai'i; which is not only the largest system of its kind for the state, but the first of its type on Kaua'i; the fourth largest of the main islands in the Hawaiian archipelago.

Survey Says Solar Most Popular Clean Energy Source
Solar energy is the most popular source of clean, environmentally friendly power in the minds of US citizens, according to the findings a survey conducted by Pike Research.

Qantas To Trial Renewable Fuel
As the margins of the international air industry grow ever narrower, both in terms of cost/return ratios and the carbon dioxide impact which fleets of heavy super jets crisscrossing the globe have on the atmosphere, US biofuel company Solarzyme Inc. has announced it will partner with Qantas to begin supplying the airline with high-quality renewable jet fuel, refined using an algae-based fermentation process.

Friday 11 February, 2011

SolarWindow - Spray On Solar Film
A US renewable energy company is convinced its latest transparent spray-on solar PV film will boost energy output by 300 percent.

Solar Power Assisted Government Housing Development Opened In NSW
Wednesday saw the opening of what the NSW Government is calling "one of the most advanced Social Housing developments in the State", a 5 Green Star rated public housing project, complete with solar electricity and solar hot water systems.

Thursday 10 February, 2011

Professor Tim Flannery To Head Australia's Climate Commission
Australia's Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency announced a short time ago an independent Climate Commission, to be headed by Professor Tim Flannery.

Hanwha SolarOne (Solarfun) Inks 54MW Panel Deal
Hanwha SolarOne, formerly known as Solarfun, has announced an agreement to supply 54MW of solar panels to SunEdison this year.

Campbell's To Power Soup With Solar Energy
Campbell's Soup in the USA will be a little more environmentally friendly as a result of solar power providing energy for its operations in Napoleon, Ohio.

Wednesday 09 February, 2011

UK To Review Solar Feed In Tariffs
The UK’s Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) Secretary, Chris Huhne, says he will review the country’s feed-in tariff (FIT) system

Renewable Energy Up, Carbon Emissions Down In Eastern Australia
Greenhouse gas emissions from energy use in Australia’s eastern states has fallen says the latest report from the Climate Group - and increased uptake of renewable energy sources such as solar power are partly responsible.

Waffle Solar Cells And Plasmonics
Through an emerging branch of technology called plasmonics, the study of the interaction of light and metal, a team of Stanford researchers believe they can more effectively trap light within thin solar cells using a honeycomb "waffle" type approach.

Tuesday 08 February, 2011

$600m Australian Oil Production Tax Loophole Exposed
Grassroots political activist group GetUp! is urging Prime Minister Gillard not to slash solar power funding to help pay for flood damage recovery, but to take it from fossil fuel subsidies - and by closing one tax loophole for polluters in particular.

800,000 Suntech Solar Panels To Power 150MW Farm
Sempra Generation's Mesquite Solar 1 project in Arizona will be constructed using hundreds of thousands of Suntech polycrystalline solar modules.

Australian Greens Say No To Compo For Big Carbon Polluters
The Australian Greens have warned Prime Minister Julia Gillard that a carbon pricing arrangement that provides compensation for big polluters will not get their support in parliament. Instead, more money should be channeled into clean, renewable energy projects.

Strong 2011 Forecast For Australia's Wind And Solar Energy Sector
Despite instability in regard to various solar incentives in Australia, including a reduction in solar panel rebates in the months ahead, market research and consulting firm Frost & Sullivan predicts continued high growth in wind and solar energy projects across the nation.

Monday 07 February, 2011

REC Solar Panels To Power 24 MW Farm
REC Systems, a division of REC, has announced the construction of a 24.2 MW solar farm in the Lazio region of Italy.

USA's Sunshot To Decrease Cost Of Solar Energy
The USA's Department of Energy hopes cut the cost of generating solar electricity to around $1 per watt; which would allow super-cheap solar production to roll out across the nation.

Sunday 06 February, 2011

UK's First Solar Powered Theme Park
Plans have been unveiled for a solar electricity system to power Devon’s Crealy Great Adventure Park.

Friday 04 February, 2011

Fruit's Potential In Supercapacitor Batteries
The concept of using fruits as batteries has been around for a very long time - but a team at University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus are taking it to a whole different level.

Renewable Energy - Australia Could Lead The World : WWF
A major study released by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) says Australia has the potential to meet all its energy needs from renewable energy sources, and it could do it on the cheap.

Thursday 03 February, 2011

5.3 MW Solar Farm For Princeton University
Princeton University in the USA has announced a project to build a 5.3 megawatt solar farm - one of the largest facilities at a U.S. college or university.

Emerald Solar Panel Developed For The Poor
A team of students from the University of Michigan are utilising solar energy to bring light to the dark nights they experienced during childhood, growing up and studying in impoverished Africa and Bangladesh.

PV Could Supply 12% Of Europe's Power By 2020
A report from the European Photovoltaic Industry Association (EPIA) states solar panel generated electricity could make up 12% of Europe's power demand by the end of this decade and up to 9% of the world's needs by 2030.

Renewable Energy Portal Connects U.S. Government And Investors
The US Department of Energy (DOE) has set up an 'Energy Innovation Portal' that will link companies and investors with new and renewable energy technologies that have been developed under federal government auspices.

Wednesday 02 February, 2011

Solar Power Made A Scapegoat In NSW.. Again
In the lead-up to state elections in New South Wales, solar power has again been portrayed as a villain and green programs have again been made victims.

Intel Inside - Solar Power Outside
Intel Corporation has completed nine solar electric installations at Intel campuses in four states; altogether generating 3.8 million kilowatt hours of solar energy annually.

Kyocera Panels Power 1,200 Japanese Solar Schools
Japanese solar panel maker Kyocera has announced it has installed over 1,200 solar power systems on Japan's schools.

Tuesday 01 February, 2011

Southwest Windpower Unveils Skystream 600 Wind Turbine
Southwest Windpower recently unveiled its newest and most efficient small wind turbine, the Skystream 600.

European Commission Calls For Double Funding For Renewable Energy
The European Union (EU) can exceed its 2020 renewable energy target of 20 percent, but only if member states double funding for their renewable energy action plans and ensure strict policy measures are maintained, the European Commission says.

Suntech Snags Siemens Solar Panel Deal
Siemens Energy has signed a deal with Suntech Power Holdings Co. Ltd. to supply solar panels for several projects in Europe.

Power-One Opens Solar Inverter Plant In Arizona
Earlier today, wind and solar inverter manufacturer Power-One, makers of Aurora inverters, officially opened its first manufacturing facility in the USA.