Home: Renewable Energy News: March 2011

Renewable Energy News

MARCH 2011 | View archive list |

Thursday 31 March, 2011

Award For Solar In The Public Interest
A U.S. scientist who has dedicated his working life to improving the efficiency of solar cells will be honoured by the American Chemical Society for "chemistry in the public interest" at Harvard University next month.

IKEA Powers Ahead With Solar Energy Goals
In 2009, IKEA decided to install solar power systems on approximately 150 of its stores and distribution centers around the world. Its latest sustainability report shows good headway in meeting this goal.

Coal Mining Implicated In Major Australian Road Closure
A section of one of Australia's busiest highways, the Princes Freeway, could be closed for a least three months - and a local coal mining operation has been partly blamed.

Wednesday 30 March, 2011

Solar Power - The Internet Of Distributed Electricity Generation
The world still has a habit of putting too many of its electricity generation eggs in too few baskets; such as major coal fired power stations and nuclear reactors - sometimes with disastrous results.

Sunpower Panels To Power Tucson Solar Rooftop Initiative
One of the many advantages of renewable energy is as the world moves further away from the use of filthy fossil fuels towards a clean energy future, it also allows an evolution in the way we utilise power sources like solar electricity.

Sanyo HIT Solar Panels Used For 450kW College Car Park Project
Long Beach City College in California has opened a solar energy harvesting car park, utilising Sanyo HIT solar panels.

Australia Ranks 12th In Clean Energy Investment
According to a report from Pew Charitable Trusts, the global clean energy sector has seen 630 percent growth in finance and investments since 2004 and last year, Australia ranked number 12 in G20 countries for clean energy investment.

Tuesday 29 March, 2011

Nuclear Power Investment To Shift To Renewables .. And Coal
The fallout from the nuclear crisis in Fukushima Japan is more than just radioactive - it's effects are extending into politics and future nuclear investment.

Rising Silicon Prices To Impact Solar Panel Producers
In what can only be described as bad news for makers of solar panels, new figures from Bloomberg New Energy Finance show the cost of solar-grade polysilicon and wafers has risen to a two-year high, while prices of finished solar energy systems face increased downward pressure.

Skyscraper To Become Massive Vertical Solar Power Station
Ground mounted solar farms tend to occupy a lot of space; area that often isn't available in urban areas. Cities and the suburbs offer a sea of rooftops for solar power harvesting - but then there's the sides of buildings that can be utilised as medium scale solar farms as well.

Monday 28 March, 2011

New York's First Solar Powered Electric Vehicle Charging Station
New York City's first solar-powered electric vehicle (EV) charging station was unveiled earlier this month in Brooklyn Bridge Park; a 34 hectare sustainable waterfront park stretching 2 kilometres along Brooklyn's East River shoreline.

Solar Powered Western Australian Mine Receives Award
Galaxy Resources has received the Energy Generation and Distribution Award from the Sustainable Energy Association of Australia for its use of solar power in a mine in Western Australia.

Quantum Dots Could Increase Solar Panel Electricity Output
New research undertaken in the USA into quantum dots may have uncovered ways to multiply the energy output of individual electrons, increasing the efficiency of the solar panels and resulting in more electricity from the same amount of absorbed light.

Friday 25 March, 2011

New Battery Structure Improves Charging and Energy Storage Capacity
Researchers at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign have developed a 3d nanostructure for battery cathodes that permits far faster charging and discharging without sacrificing energy storage capacity.

Thursday 24 March, 2011

Bacteria's Potential For Solar Cell Materials
Researchers from the US Department of Energy�s Oak Ridge Laboratory and Washington University are studying the light-harvesting abilities of some of nature�s most photosynthetic life-forms, breaking ground into a new generation of solar cell design.

SMA Sunny Boy HF Series Solar Inverters Available In Australia
National solar power solutions provider Energy Matters has announced the availability of SMA Sunny Boy HF series solar inverters in Australia.

Wednesday 23 March, 2011

Americans Turning From Nuclear Power To Solar Energy
The nuclear crisis in Japan is dramatically changing views about the use of nuclear energy for electricity generation. In the USA, a survey has found a majority of respondents want to see a freeze on new nuclear power station construction and more focus on wind and solar power.

Australian Company To Build Floating Solar Farm In India
Australian solar power company Sunengy Pty Limited has announced a deal with India energy giant Tata Power for the construction of floating solar farm in India by the end of this year.

Energy Matters Video News - Episode 27 - March 23, 2011
In this episode, Virginia covers the Queensland Government's Solar Kindergarten Installation Program, a report advising the ACT Government to reduce the solar feed in tariff rate for new connections, a partnership between the Australian Solar Institute and a major European solar research organisation and the NSW Greens proposal for three 200 megawatt solar thermal power stations for the state.��

Tuesday 22 March, 2011

India's Solar Power Industry Booms
India has become the world�s second largest consumer of solar photovoltaic (PV) energy and solar hot water products - behind only China - with a forecast annual installed PV growth rate of 134 percent for the years 2009-13, according latest figures from RNCOS Research.

Solar Power For Queensland Kindergartens
The Queensland state government has announced plans to put solar energy systems on the roofs of up to 400 kindergartens as part of its $5.76 million Solar Kindergarten Installation Program.

Monday 21 March, 2011

Suntech Solar Panels On The World's Rooftop
Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd. (NYSE: STP) has announced it will install a 10MW solar farm on the Tibetan Plateau, making it the world's highest altitude solar power installation.

Nuclear Power And Renewable Energy Not Compatible
The notion that nuclear power has its role alongside renewables in a clean energy future has been argued in a recent study.

Sunday 20 March, 2011

Solar Powered Western Australian Mine Receives Award
Galaxy Resources has received the Energy Generation and Distribution Award from the Sustainable Energy Association of Australia for its use of solar power in a mine in Western Australia.

Friday 18 March, 2011

ACT Government Advised To Reduce Solar Feed In Tariff Rate
The ACT government has been advised to drop its solar feed in tariff rate from 45.7c a kilowatt hour to 39c a kilowatt hour. This proposed revised rate would not impact on participants who connect prior to 1 July 2011.

Australian Solar Institute Partners With Europe On Solar Power
The Australian Solar Institute (ASI) yesterday announced a research and development partnership to develop concentrating solar power (CSP) technologies.

Thursday 17 March, 2011

NSW Greens Unveil Concentrated Solar Power Plans
The New South Wales Greens yesterday launched their official election campaign, with renewable energy taking centre stage of their platform to revitalise the state�s heartlands.

Ford And Toyota Power Operations With Solar
Car manufacturers are looking to lower their electricity costs and greenhouse gas emissions - and increasingly turning to solar energy to power parts of their operations.

See The Tesla Roadster - Oz Goes Electric Tour
When people think of all-electric cars, they often visualise a low range vehicle with very limited capabilities on the highway. Tesla is seeking to change that with the Oz Goes Electric Tour and its Roadster vehicle - charged purely with electricity sourced from solar, wind, hydro and biomass.

Wednesday 16 March, 2011

Solar Power Trumps Nuclear Energy: University Study
It's a given that solar power is far safer than utilising nuclear energy for power generation - but it's also cheaper according to a study from Queen's University in Canada.

USA Solar Industry Value Grew 67% In 2010
Recent figures from the USA�s leading solar trade group, the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), show that in 2010, solar energy was an economic powerhouse in a somewhat depressed American marketplace.

Energy Matters Video News - Episode 26 - March 16, 2011
In this episode, Virginia covers a new report showing renewable energy's minor role in electricity prices, REC solar panels a top performer in independent testing, Suntech stocks power on and Japan's nuclear emergency casting a cloud over Australia's nuclear aspirations.

Tuesday 15 March, 2011

REC Solar Panels A Top Performer In Independent Field Testing
Industry recognition of REC solar panels continues to grow, with a recent independent testing putting the modules ahead of 30 other leading brands.

Conditional Approval Granted For Moree Solar Farm
The NSW state government has granted conditional approval to another major solar farm at Moree in the north-west of the state.

UK Solar Soldier Program To Lighten The Load
A team of British scientists has started work on a solar power pack that would lighten the load individual soldiers must carry by 50 percent, allowing a higher degree of mobility.

Monday 14 March, 2011

Japan Nuclear Emergency Casts Cloud Over Australian Aspirations
Supporters of a nuclear power future for Australia have been given pause for thought over the last couple of days as the nuclear emergency in Japan continues to evolve.

Friday 11 March, 2011

Newcastle University To Build SolarEagle's Electric Motors
Boeing's SolarEagle project - a solar powered plane with a massive 120 metre wingspan - is moving along; with Newcastle University announcing its involvement in construction.

Solar Could Power 5000 Jobs In Iowa
In the US state of Iowa, a new report says that developing solar energy as a power source has the potential to provide up to 5000 jobs in the next five years and provide over $332 million to the Iowan economy.

Thursday 10 March, 2011

Suntech Solar Stocks Power On
Suntech Power Holdings, one of the world's leading manufacturers of solar panels, has sent global share markets into a frenzy after they announced total net revenues of almost a billion dollars in the fourth quarter of 2010, a 62 percent increase on 2009�s figures.

Laser Scribing To Improve Thin Film Solar Panel Conversion Efficiency
Researchers at Purdue University's Center for Laser-Based manufacturing are developing a new manufacturing process to make thin film solar cells more affordable and efficient.

Wednesday 09 March, 2011

Energy Matters Video News - Episode 25 - March 9, 2011
In this episode, Virginia covers a proposal to tax coal fired power to pay for NSW's Solar Bonus scheme, the heated debate on a carbon price for Australia, a new web site that tracks coal's creep across Victoria and how a carbon price could boost regional renewable energy jobs.

New Report Reveals Renewable Energy's Minor Role In Electricity Prices
The rumour that solar power is the major culprit in electricity price rises is persistent, pervasive, damaging - and baseless. A new report from independent energy market analysts again shoots down the vicious lies and misconceptions that threaten Australia's clean and renewable energy future.

Tuesday 08 March, 2011

Australia Slips In Renewable Energy Attractiveness Rankings
The latest Ernst & Young�s global Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Indices shows that while clean energy reached record levels in 2010, some countries and sectors struggled in the prevailing economic and policy conditions. Australia was among those to have slipped in the rankings.

New Gel Boosts Solar Panel Efficiency
Honeywell recently announced their SOLARC PV product - the latest anti-reflective gel-based coating for solar panels that addresses the problem of light deflection from the shiny toughened glass surface of PV modules.

FPL Celebrates World's First Hybrid Solar Farm
Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) celebrated the official opening of the first major hybrid solar power installation in the world on the weekend - the Martin Next Generation Solar Energy Center.

Monday 07 March, 2011

A Carbon Price Or Not - That Is The Australian Question
To set a price on carbon, lower pollution and invest in a clean, renewable energy future, or not? That, it seems, is the question occupying the political zeitgeist in Australia right now.

Tax Coal Power To Pay For Solar Bonus Scheme - Greens
The Greens say they would pay for a resurrected New South Wales Solar Bonus Scheme imposing a yearly tax on coal-fired power stations.�

U.S. Farms Embracing Solar Power
America's farmers have seen the potential of potential of renewable energy to reduce their operating costs and over the last decade, solar power systems, wind turbines and methane digesters have become an increasingly common site in rural USA.

Friday 04 March, 2011

CoalWatch - Tracking Brown Coal's Creep
A new web site that will track the expansion of Victoria�s brown coal industry is now live, exposing the true extent of the coal mining land grab in the state�s farming regions.

Solar Panel Designed For Desalination
It looks like a solar panel and it is - of sorts; but instead of using solar power to generate electricity, the Carocell from Australian company F Cubed purifies and desalinates water.

LA Solar Farm Will Power 85,000 Homes
Once maligned as one of America�s smoggiest cities, Los Angeles has cleaned up its act in a big way - and none too soon; for while a thick layer of smog may offer up beautiful sunsets, it tends to limit the amount of vital solar energy the city will need to reach its renewable energy target of 35 percent by 2020.

Thursday 03 March, 2011

Germany Achieves 17% Renewable Energy Sourced Electricity
Renewable energy sourced electricity in German homes exceeded 17 percent in 2010 and solar installations doubled reports Germany Trade & Invest.

Billions In Big Oil Royalties Not Collected
While the debate rages on about how to fund the battle against climate change and renewable energy projects, it seems U.S. oil companies have enjoyed substantial financial windfalls on top of existing generous subsidies through tax loopholes the failure of government departments to collect royalties. The problem isn't confined to the USA either.

Wednesday 02 March, 2011

2011 Melbourne Awards - Nominations Open
Earlier today, the City of Melbourne announced 2011's prestigious Melbourne Awards nominations were now open. As with last year's event; the 2011 Awards offer a special category for contributions to sustainability.

Rooftop Solar Power System Installed On United Nations Building
A United Nations building in Nairobi has become the first carbon neutral office building in Africa after the installation of a PV-based rooftop solar power system.

Suntech Power Wins Global Green Leader Award
Suntech Power Ltd, Chinese solar energy giant and the world's biggest producer of crystalline silicon solar panels, has received the Murphy&Spitz Global Leader Award for 2011 for achieving excellence in environmental and sustainability standards in the photovoltaics industry.

Tuesday 01 March, 2011

Solar Panels Power Contaminated Groundwater Cleanup
Is there anything that solar power can't do? The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have announced a project to clean up contaminated groundwater at a site in California is the first to be fully powered by solar energy.

Carbon Price To Boost Regional Clean Energy Jobs
Research published by the Climate Institute suggests a carbon price in Australia could play an important role in the creation of 34,000 new jobs in regional areas in cleaner energy sectors, including solar power.

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