Home: Renewable Energy News: February 2012

Renewable Energy News

FEBRUARY 2012 | View archive list |

Wednesday 29 February, 2012

Energy Matters Video News - Episode 60 - February 29, 2012
Virginia reports on Mars Rover Opportunity's solar panels covered in dust but still delivering power, Lucy Lawless; the actress who played Xena in Xena: Warrior Princess, arrested after participating in Greenpeace action, BP bails on Moree Solar Farm and a new solar farm for Mars Chocolate North America.

Arizona Electric Company Trials Lithium Solar Battery System
Arizona Public Service Company has begun testing a new shipping container sized 1.5 megawatt-hour (MW/h) Lithium Ion Battery Energy Storage System (BESS).

More Floating Solar Panels - Floating Tracking Cooling Concentrator
The potential for using expanses of water to host solar power systems is continuing to be explored - in this instance, by an Italian company.

Sudden Death For Australian Solar Hot Water System Rebate
The Parliamentary Secretary for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, Mark Dreyfus, has announced the closure of the Renewable Energy Bonus Scheme.

Tuesday 28 February, 2012

Renewable Energy To Get Fossil Fuel Treatment From IEA
The International Energy Agency (IEA) has announced it will acknowledge renewable energy as the fastest growing sector of the energy mix and publish annual medium-term reports placing renewable energy alongside oil, gas and coal.

UPDATED - Xena: Renewable Energy Warrior Princess Arrested
Lucy Lawless and five other Greenpeace activists hunkered down at the top of a derrick on a Shell drilling ship berthed in the port of Taranaki in New Zealand were arrested by police yesterday

Suntech And SMA Powering New Solar Farms In Greece
Protergia S.A, an energy company in Greece, has flipped the switch on three solar farms with a combined capacity of 11.5MW.

Monday 27 February, 2012

New Solar Farm For Mars Chocolate North America
Mars Chocolate North America has unveiled a new 4.4-acre solar garden installed at the company’s Henderson, Nevada factory; providing 100 percent of the electricity required by the Ethel Ms specialty chocolate plant during peak operating hours.

Euro Utilities Declare War On Solar PV
Euro utilities try to curb PV installation as merit order effect impact bites into earnings, while China pushes PV throttle to the floor says Giles Parkinson.

BP Bails On Moree Solar Farm
BP's involvement with solar power continues to crumble. The company has reportedly exited the Moree Solar Farm consortium; but another major player is ready to take its place.

Friday 24 February, 2012

Global Wind Energy Powered Ahead In 2011
This month saw the release of the Global Wind Energy Council’s wrap-up of 2011, and the figures show wind power continued to surge ahead in a global climate of political and economic uncertainty.

Mars Rover Solar Panels Thick With Dust
An amazing image from NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows a huge amount of dust coating the rover's solar panels; making them appear to almost blend in with the surrounding landscape - and yet they continue to generate electricity.

Thursday 23 February, 2012

Suntech Named In MIT Technology Review's 2012 TR50
Solar panel producer Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd. has been included in MIT Technology Review's 2012 TR50 for developing low cost ways of making better silicon solar cells.

Germany Forecast To Reach 36% Renewable Energy By 2020
It really wasn't all that long ago achieving near-future renewable energy targets set in the double digits seemed impossible; but some countries such as Germany are on track to hit their targets and even bypass them.

Wednesday 22 February, 2012

Largest SolarWindow Organic Photovoltaic Module Unveiled
Scientists working on New Energy Technologies Inc.'s latest incarnation of the 'see-thru' organic photovoltaic solar panel, SolarWindow, say they have finally overcome the biggest obstacle confronting the commercialisation of the product.

Apple To Construct USA's Largest End-User Owned Solar Farm
After rumours swirled for months, Apple has confirmed it will be constructing a 20MW solar farm.

Energy Matters CEO Elected To Solar PV Leadership Committee
The results of the Clean Energy Council's (CEC) Solar PV Elections have been announced and Energy Matters' CEO Jeremy Rich is among the members who will form the organisation's Solar PV Leadership Committee.

Energy Matters Video News - Episode 59 - February 22, 2012
Virginia reports on Melbourne's 'Little Audrey' now skipping on the power of the sun, plans by South Australia's largest electricity retailer to again increase electricity prices, the launch of Australia's Clean Technology Investment Programs and a campaign to stop the burning of Australia's native forests being recognised as renewable energy.

Tuesday 21 February, 2012

Solar Frontier's Latest CIS Panel Deals
Solar Frontier recently announced two agreements that involved the supply of over 23MW of its CIS solar panels.

US Tribal Nations To Benefit From Renewable Energy Funding
The US Department of Energy (DOE) is bankrolling $6.5 million in clean energy projects on Tribal Lands; which U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu says will allow Native American tribes to advance renewable energy within their communities.

Monday 20 February, 2012

Solar Flagships: Government Monitoring Actions Of Retailers
As four consortia prepare to lodge their updated bids for the re-opened solar PV part of the struggling Solar Flagships program, the Department of Energy has revealed that it is keeping a watching brief on the behaviour of the big three energy retailers says RenewEconomy's Giles Parkinson.

Electricity Retailer Plans To Slug Households Extra 10%
South Australia's largest energy retailer plans to increase the average annual household electricity bill by an extra $150 due to 'special circumstances'.

Millions To Benefit From Low Cost Solar In Asia And Africa
A recently announced initiative will see up to 33 million people living in poverty in Africa and Asia supplied with low-cost solar panels and solar battery packs.

AUO Solar Panels Now BenQ Solar
AUO solar panels have been re-branded to BenQ Solar - a division AU Optronics Corp.

Friday 17 February, 2012

Solar Panels Powering Melbourne's 'Little Audrey' Skipping Girl Sign
Australia's first neon sign, the iconic Skipping Girl Sign in the inner Melbourne suburb of Abbotsford, is now skipping on the power of the sun thanks to solar panels.

Thursday 16 February, 2012

$1 Billion Australian Clean Technology Investment Programs Launched
The Gillard Government today launched its Clean Technology Investment Programs - $1 billion in funding for manufacturers to improve energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions.

Renewables Not Australian Native Forest Furnaces - GetUp
589,000 member strong independent political action group GetUp has launched a campaign against Independent MP Rob Oakeshott's motion to remove provisions that prevent the burning of native forests for energy from being counted as renewable energy.

Wednesday 15 February, 2012

Swinburne Uni And Suntech Unveil Broadband Nanoplasmonic Solar Cells
A team of researchers from Melbourne's Swinburne University of Technology and Suntech have developed what they state are the world's most efficient broadband nanoplasmonic solar cells.

More Funding For Kindergartens In Queensland To Go Solar
The next round of Queensland's Solar Kindergarten Installation Program is now open for applications.

Energy Matters Video News - Episode 58 - February 15, 2012
Virginia reports on one million renewable energy jobs in Europe, Queensland shooting for 9000 gigawatt hours of renewable energy generation, new Australian Government energy efficiency programs launched and NASA awards a solar electric propulsion system contract.

Tuesday 14 February, 2012

Australian Made Solar Roofing Panels Provide Heat And Power
Researchers from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) are working on a system to better harness the power of solar energy to generate electricity and heating for homes.

'Whispering Galleries' Reduce Thin Film Solar Cell Cost
A team of engineers from Stanford University have created tiny hollow spheres of photovoltaic nanocrystalline-silicon to channel light; a development that could dramatically reduce thin film solar panel materials usage and processing cost.

1 Million Plus Renewable Energy Jobs In Europe
The European renewable energy sector had more than a million people employed by the end of 2010 according to the recently released EurObserv’ER report, 'The State of Renewable Energies in Europe'.

Monday 13 February, 2012

Solar Energy Rules In A State Of Confusion
A surprising prediction in the latest Queensland Renewable Energy Plan has raised questions about whether the state is about to end its solar feed-in-tariff says RenewEconomy's Giles Parkinson.

165 Metre High Solar Tower Completed
The Crescent Dunes solar thermal power plant is one step closer to producing clean energy from the Nevada desert sun, with the company announcing the completion of a 540-foot (165-metre)-high receiver tower at the site.

LiFePO4 Batteries Show Promise For Solar Power Systems
Off-grid solar power system owners contemplating the use of lithium batteries for energy storage will be encouraged by results of recent testing.

£1 Billion Wind Farm Opened
A wind farm with enough capacity to provide for the electricity needs of up to 320,000 households - and reportedly the largest operating facility of its kind in the world to date - has been officially opened.

Friday 10 February, 2012

Queensland Aims For 9000 Gigawatt Hours Of Renewable Energy Generation
Queensland Renewable Energy Plan (QREP) 2012 has been launched by Energy Minister Stephen Robertson - and the future of solar in the state continues to look bright.

NASA Awards Solar Electric Propulsion Flight System Contract
While solar cells are often used in space applications to power instruments, they haven't yet been used to propel a spacecraft - something that may change soon.

Thursday 09 February, 2012

Alta Devices Announces Solar Panel Efficiency Record
Alta Devices has achieved a new record efficiency of 23.5 percent with its most recent solar panel, after testing and verification from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

New Australian Government Energy Efficiency Programs Opened
The Gillard Government has just announced the opening of series of energy efficiency initiatives and assistance targeted towards business, local government, households and communities.

Energy Matters Video News - Episode 57 - February 9, 2012
Virginia reports on Senator Christine Milne's criticism of Energy Minister Martin Ferguson's handling of Solar Flagships, a $1.3 million solar power system for Hervey Bay Hospital, a 189 megawatt wind farm for Victoria and Intel the USA's biggest purchaser of green power.

Solar Boost For Tucson Coal Fired Power Station
An old fired coal fired power plant in Tucson Arizona that reportedly belches over a million tons of greenhouse gas emissions a year will be expanded soon; but this time, solar power will provide extra generation capacity.

Wednesday 08 February, 2012

Renewables' Big Contribution To EU 2011 New Energy Generation Capacity
The European Union set a new record for new power generation capacity in 2011, with renewable energy infrastructure making up over 70 percent of new installations for the year according to a report from the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA).

AUO Solar Panels To Power Pennsylvania Schools
AU Optronics (AUO) has announced a 9 MW solar power project in the Pennsylvania School District, which will be the largest solar farm in the state.

Solar Flagships Round 1 PV Funding Up For Grabs Again
With the Moree Solar Farm consortium unable to meet all of their funding conditions, the Australian Government has decided to open Solar Flagships Round 1's PV element for another round of bidding - and may well get far more solar bang for the Australian taxpayer's buck.

Tuesday 07 February, 2012

No Easy Choices - The Wrong Way To Australia's Clean Energy Future?
A controversial new report from the Grattan Institute examines the pathway to Australia’s clean energy future; recommending strategies that, according to Beyond Zero Emissions, are fundamentally flawed and would eliminate feed-in tariffs for solar power.

Honda And BMW Installing Solar Panels At Auto Facilities
Honda and BMW are among the latest auto manufacturers to begin incorporating on-site solar electricity generation at some of their facilities.

Forget Flagships, ACT's Solar Auction The Real Game Changer
The main game in the Australian solar industry has moved from the corridors of power in the Federal Parliament to the more modest resources of the ACT Legislative Assembly says Giles Parkinson.

ARENA Needed To Address Solar Flagships 'Mess' : Milne
Australia's Solar Flagships program has faced continual delays and problems, sparking a call from the Greens to expedite the setting up of the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) to take over the administration of the scheme.

Monday 06 February, 2012

Make Your Own Solar Panels Using Green Waste
Imagine using the solar energy captured by your lawn clippings to charge a mobile phone. That’s the aim of research currently being carried out at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

266kW Solar Panel System For Queensland's Hervey Bay Hospital
Energy Minister Stephen Robertson recently announced the completion of contractual arrangements to install a 266 kilowatt (kW) rooftop solar power system at Hervey Bay Hospital.

EU To Force Solar Panel Recycling
While initiatives for solar panel recycling in the European Union are already in place, the EU Parliament will amend guidelines for its WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) Directive to set a minimum for the number of modules recycled.

Mt Gellibrand Wind Farm Receives Final Approval
The Mt Gellibrand Wind Farm near Colac in south west Victoria recently received final approval from the Victorian government.

Friday 03 February, 2012

Intel The USA's Largest Consumer Of Wind And Solar Electricity
Computer chip maker Intel has again topped the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) list for use of green electricity

Thursday 02 February, 2012

Energy Matters To Present At Greening For Growth Forum 2012
The City of Port Phillip and Small Business Victoria have announced details of Greening for Growth Forum 2012.

Solar Assisted Car Carrier Shipping Electric Nissan Leaf
As the Nissan LEAF is shipped via the ocean to various ports, it's fitting that some of those electric vehicles will reach their destination via a solar power assisted ship.

Wednesday 01 February, 2012

Nuclear Fears Help Fuel Record Renewable Energy Investment
A new generation of renewable energy deals is elevating the global clean energy market to record high levels of investment.

Energy Matters Video News - Episode 56 - February 1, 2012
Virginia reports on South Australian solar households to be paid more for the surplus electricity they generate, a solar powered flood monitoring system that helped kept Queenslanders safe during recent flooding, a proposed 200MW solar updraft tower for Western Australia and REC solar panels trump an extensive field test.

Asia Pacific Solar PV Installations Grew 165% In 2011
The Asia Pacific region installed 2.8GW of PV in the final quarter of last year and looks set to grow an additional 40% in 2012. Unfortunately, Australia's outlook for solar panel installs isn't so positive.