Home: Renewable Energy News: May 2011

Renewable Energy News

MAY 2011 | View archive list |

Tuesday 31 May, 2011

ACT Solar Feed In Tariff May Hit Cap Within Weeks
The ACT Greens have expressed concerns the nation's most generous micro scale solar feed in tariff program may reach its cap very soon, which could have devastating effects on the Territory's solar industry.

Global Carbon Emissions Skyrocket
Global efforts to reduce carbon emissions must be stepped up says the International Energy Agency (IEA) after finding emissions in 2010 were the highest in history; with coal continuing to be the major culprit.

Asia Must Invest In Solar Power: ADB
It is essential Asia continues expanding its solar energy industry in coming decades in order to ensure strong economic growth and reduce carbon pollution, according the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

Monday 30 May, 2011

Solar Powered Juno Spacecraft's Panels Tested
Solar power will once again help expand humanity’s knowledge of the planets when NASA's orbital satellite, Juno, is launched on its five-year journey to Jupiter in August.

Switzerland Plans To Abandon Nuclear Power
The Swiss government announced last week a proposal to phase out nuclear power as an energy source for electricity generation and to look more towards energy efficiency and renewables.

South Australians Brace For Another Electricity Price Rise
It used to be there were only two things you could be sure of in life. It's time to add a third - electricity price rises from utilities.

Thursday 26 May, 2011

Rustbelt Flow Battery - Iron Based Energy Storage System
Researchers at Case Western Reserve University are utilising iron to create a flow battery; a scalable energy storage system that can service a single home or an entire community.

Tie A Yellow Ribbon For NSW Solar
The yellow ribbon is a symbol of remembering something - and it's a symbol now being used to remind the New South Wales Government of its commitments under the state's Solar Bonus Scheme.

GE's Renewable Energy Friendly Gas Fuelled Power Plant
GE Energy has flipped the switch on a breakthrough gas-fuelled power plant which can cycle up and down at a rapid pace, allowing for increased flow of more renewable energy resources such as solar and wind into national electricity grids.

Dairy Farm Makes The Switch To Solar Power
Lakeside Dairy in California is now sourcing three-quarters of the farm's milking operations' energy needs with clean electricity, after installing a large solar power system.

Wednesday 25 May, 2011

Wind Power Gets More Google Love
Google's recent renewable energy investments rival some governments'. In it's ongoing love affair with wind power, Google has announced a USD $55 million stake in a 102 megawatt wind power project in California.

Japan Considering Solar Power For All New Buildings
The Fukushima nuclear crisis has given Japan pause for thought on its nuclear future and reports indicate the Japanese government is considering making it mandatory for all new buildings and homes to have solar power systems installed.

Harnessing Variable Renewables
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the challenge for policy-makers in coming decades will be how best to manage the widespread uptake of a multitude of renewable energy sources as the world discards its dependence on fossil-fuels.

Tuesday 24 May, 2011

NEWSFLASH: Hardship Provisions For NSW Solar Bonus Scheme
NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell and Energy Minister Chris Hartcher have announced provisions would be put in place for solar households in NSW with "genuine hardship cases" resulting from the NSW Government’s changes to the Solar Bonus Scheme.

Mortenson Announces 1.5GW Of Wind Farm Projects
The ever-growing cost of gas is fuelling a boom in renewable energy sources throughout North America, and the trend is proving an economic windfall for a Minneapolis construction company.

Choice Warns On Shonky Solar Power Installers
Australian consumer group Choice has issued a warning to people rushing into buying a solar power system to be wary of fly-by-night operators.

New Coal Fired Power Station For Victoria
In a time when the world needs to reduce carbon emissions and renewable energy should be at the forefront of that challenge, the Victorian Environment Protection Agency (EPA) has given the nod for a new coal fired power station to be constructed in Morwell, Victoria.

Monday 23 May, 2011

NSW Announces Solar Power System Safety Audits
The NSW Government has announced it will conduct safety audits of solar power systems installed under the state's State's Solar Bonus Scheme.

Australian Renewable Energy Revolution Critical By 2020
The author of a new report from the Climate Commission says the world is running out of time to prevent serious climate events caused by global warming and warns Australia should embrace a renewable energy revolution by 2020 to offset irreversible damage from climate change.

Friday 20 May, 2011

Liberal MP Breaks Rank On NSW Solar Bonus Scheme
NSW Premier O'Farrell is under heavy fire for his government's handling of the state's Solar Bonus Scheme from not only the solar industry, solar supporters and other political parties, but from elements within his own party.

UK Pledges 50% Carbon Emissions Cut By 2025
The United Kingdom has become the first nation in the world to adopt a legally binding emissions target beyond 2020, mandating a dramatic 50 percent cut in greenhouse gases from 1990 levels by 2025.

Thursday 19 May, 2011

NEWSFLASH: Western Australia Solar Feed In Tariff Changes
Western Australian households considering installing solar power will be racing to buy systems after today's announcement by the Western Australian government that its solar feed in tariff rate will be greatly reduced for new applications submitted after June 30. A firm cap has also been put in place for the program.

Chepstowe Wind Farm Gets Go-Ahead
Victoria's Planning Minister yesterday announced the green light for a wind farm facility in Chepstowe, approximately 30 km west of Ballarat, Victoria.

1,500 At NSW Solar Rally
Wednesday's rally at Circular Quay to protest the New South Wales Government's handling of the Solar Bonus Scheme drew around 1,500 angry solar supporters.

Wednesday 18 May, 2011

IEA Outlines Emissions-Free Future For The Building Sector
A new report from the International Energy Agency (IEA) shows how renewable energy technologies combined with zero-carbon efficiency measures can produce dramatic savings in the global building sector by 2050.

NSW Government's Broken Solar Promises Detailed
The Australian Solar Energy Society (AuSeS) has released details of what it says are promises broken by the NSW O'Farrell government in relation to the state's Solar Bonus Scheme.

GM Chevy Volt Factory To Be Solar Power Assisted
A huge solar panel array will be constructed at General Motors Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant to generate electricity for the facility.

Tuesday 17 May, 2011

Energy Matters' Partnership With REC Solar Goes Platinum
Norway-based solar panel manufacturer REC recently announced a partnership with Australian solar power solutions provider Energy Matters and its sister company Apollo Energy had stepped up to a new level, with the companies being the first in the Asia Pacific to be accepted into the REC Partner Program at a Platinum level .

Nuclear Powered Electricity Generation Utopia Unattainable
Derek Abbott, Professor of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at the University of Adelaide, has arrived at the conclusion that nuclear power cannot be scaled to the degree it can supply the world's energy needs and more attention needs to turn to renewable sources.

New Solar Panel Claimed To Achieve 95% Efficiency
A chemical engineer in the USA claims he has developed a new flexible solar panel which can capture up to 95 percent of available light energy by harnessing infrared light and areas of the solar spectrum standard photovoltaic (PV) cells ignore.

Australia Had More Renewable Energy In 1960
While solar power and wind energy's presence in Australia has increased greatly over the past few years, it will come as a shock to many that the nation has less renewable energy capacity as a proportion of Australia's total electricity generation than it did in 1960.

Monday 16 May, 2011

Protesters Place Solar Panels On Combet's Rooftop
Activists from Rising Tide have scaled the walls of Climate Change Minister Greg Combet’s electorate office to draw attention to issues related to the looming carbon tax and how resulting revenue will be spent.

NSW Solar Bonus Scheme - Anger And Action
Friday 13th lived up to the legend when the NSW Government announced the permanent closure of the Solar Bonus Scheme and other changes to the program; threatening thousands of solar jobs and also the feed in tariff rate of solar households who originally signed up under the scheme.

Solar Powered Yacht's World Record Attempt
The Turanor looks more like it should fly than float. Covered by 36,000 solar cells, the yacht's crew is aiming to be the first fully solar-powered vessel to sail around the world.

Friday 13 May, 2011

NEWSFLASH - NSW Solar Bonus Scheme Permanently Closed
The NSW Government has announced the state's solar feed-in tariff program, the Solar Bonus Scheme, is permanently closed to new applicants and the tariff rate will be significantly reduced for those solar households receiving or eligible for the original 60 cent tariff.

Genetically Modifying Plants For Solar Cell Applications
Scientists in the US are examining the way plants convert solar energy into liquid fuels, and have found that although photosynthesis in plants produces less energy from sunlight than man-made solar cells, genetic modifications could lead to cheap bio-solar power.

Coal Cares - Solar Power Is Evil
A newly launched web site claims solar power presents many dangers and problems that coal’s million-year buffering is designed to avoid. After all, coal power is solar power it says.

Thursday 12 May, 2011

UPDATE: NSW Solar Bonus Scheme Rally Announced
With the NSW Solar Bonus Scheme still in limbo with no firm resolution in sight, the Australian Solar Energy Society (AuSES) has announced a mass rally to be held next week. Energy Matters will be a primary sponsor of the event.

Solar Power Associations Criticise UK Renewable Energy Report
The latest Renewable Energy Review from the UK’s Committee on Climate Change has drawn criticism from the country's solar energy industry.

DOE Funding Ensures U.S. Solar Success
The 2011 Federal Budget has been described as 'disappointing' for the solar energy sector in Australia. It’s easy to see why when you compare funding commitments for renewable energy projects between here and in the USA.

Energy Matters Video News - Episode 32 - May 12, 2011
In this episode, Virginia covers a further reduction to the Solar Credits scheme, the potential for legal action arising from the NSW Solar Bonus scheme being put on hold, Australia's top solar postcodes and the IPCC's report on the potential for renewable energy.

5MW Rooftop Solar Power System For Major Toy Retailer
Toys'R'Us, Inc, the world's largest retailer of toys, is installing a mammoth 5.38 megawatt rooftop solar farm that the company says will be the largest in North America.

Wednesday 11 May, 2011

Changes to Queensland's Solar Bonus Scheme
There has been an intended change announced for Queensland's Solar Bonus Scheme, the state's popular feed in tariff initiative. However, unlike the recent New South Wales announcement putting on hold the NSW program of the same name, Queensland's alteration will not affect most prospective home solar power buyers.

The 2011 Australian Budget And Solar
Home solar power in Australia has endured a battering over the last few weeks in terms of government support and in Tuesday night's Australian Federal Budget announcements, it was the turn of other elements of Australia's renewable energy sector.

Solar Trust of America Expands into Solar PV
Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) specialist, Solar Trust of America, has announced a joint venture with German solar PV juggernaut SolarHybrid AG

Tuesday 10 May, 2011

Solar Panel Industry's Salad Days Of 2010
The solar revolution is gaining momentum, even if some governments are still seemingly ignorant of its potential and in some cases, now apparently actively seeking to rein it in. In 2010, 17.5 GW of solar panel installations occurred globally, blasting past the previous years 7.2 GW by an incredible 141%.

IPCC Sees Bright Future For Renewables
A new report released by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) says nearly 80 percent of the world‘s energy supply could be sourced from renewables by the middle of this century - if the right policies are in place.

Monday 09 May, 2011

Legal Questions Raised Over Solar Bonus Scheme Suspension
According to Greens NSW MP John Kaye, the New South Wales government may have given some households cause for a class action suit over the suspension of the state's popular feed in tariff initiative, the Solar Bonus Scheme

Friday 06 May, 2011

Australia's Top Solar Power Postcodes
Home solar power systems are becoming a common sight in many Australian towns and cities; with some areas particularly engaged in the solar revolution.

Thursday 05 May, 2011

UPDATE - Australia's Solar Credits Scheme To Be Slashed Again
Australia's Climate Change Minister, Greg Combet, has delivered another blow to the solar industry and households wanting to install solar power systems by announcing further reductions to the Solar Credits program.

Solar Powered Device Sterilises Medical Instruments
A French inventor’s design for a device using solar energy to provide heat for cooking in developing nations has been modified by a team of engineering students at America’s Rice University into a potentially lifesaving machine that can sterilise medical instruments.

Energy Matters Video News - Episode 31 - May 5, 2011
Virginia covers New South Wales' Solar Bonus Scheme being put on hold, Harry Reid's vision for a renewable energy future, distributed vs. centralised solar power based electricity generation and NASA's solar satellite returning to Earth.

Wednesday 04 May, 2011

Small Scale Solar Thermoelectric Device Prototype Developed
A collaborative research team from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Boston College have developed a small-scale thermoelectric solar device that uses flat-panel technology - much like conventional silicon photovoltaic solar panels.

Climate Change's Impact On U.S. Wind Energy
As climate change dramatically changes weather patterns in some areas, will it negatively affect the wind energy industry?

Suntech Inks 100MW India Solar Panel Deal
Suntech has announced a deal that will see the company supply 100MW of solar panels for projects in India.

Tuesday 03 May, 2011

3.3GW Of Rooftop Solar Power In Australia By 2020
According to Bloomberg New Energy Finance, current Australian policies for promoting renewable energy will generate at least $36 billion in new investments by the end of the decade.

Energy Matters Exhibiting At Tasmania's Agfest 2011
Tasmania’s favourite agricultural fair, AgFest, is on this week in Launceston from Thursday 5 May until Saturday 7 May, 2011 and Energy Matters will be exhibiting at the event.

Monday 02 May, 2011

3D Solar Cell Boosts Efficiency By 80 Percent
Scientists at the USA's Dept. of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have created a three-dimensional solar cell which could boost photovoltaic (PV) light-to-energy conversion rates by 80 percent.

New South Wales Solar Bonus Scheme On Hold
The New South Wales government announced on Friday that applications to the NSW Solar Bonus Scheme have been placed on hold and no new applications to the Scheme would be considered from midnight Thursday, 28 April 2011.

Major Battery Project For Texas Wind Farm
Efficiently storing electricity produced by renewable energy sources is rapidly becoming a reality. Duke Energy has announced further details of a major renewable energy electricity storage project for its Notrees Windpower Project in west Texas.