Government rebates and incentives certainly help make acquiring a system much cheaper and speed up return on investment; but solar rebates and incentives in Australia have been somewhat a moving target over the last 10 months, causing confusion for consumers and industry alike.
Science has endeavouring to help unlock the secrets of how plants so efficiently turn the sun into energy in order to mimic that process. Once the code is cracked, one application is the production of cheap and more efficient solar cells.
The first Australian Energy Resource Assessment, described as a national prospectus for energy resources, has been released. While 7% of Australia’s electricity is now generated by renewable means, the majority of that figure is hydro-power. Wind energy is making inroads, but solar power only accounts for around 0.1 per cent of Australia’s primary energy consumption
Australia has a set a target of just 20 percent renewable energy generation by 2020; so even after that date, coal will still feature heavily in our energy mix. The use of coal and its role in greenhouse gas emissions is well known, but an issue often overlooked is the subject of mercury.
California-based Sunpods Inc. has announced the first solar power-assist system for buses, designed to help transportation companies strict anti-pollution standards set by the State of California.
Researchers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have created a new type of flexible solar cell using arrays of long, thin silicon wires embedded in a polymer substrate; requiring a fiftieth of the silicon used by conventional silicon solar cells.
Several media reports in the last week have stated that by making the switch to solar power, some householders are losing their off-peak electricity benefits. Solar power isn’t to blame and the loss of traditional off-peak rates is inevitable for all Australian households.
The US Marines are going GREENS. No, that’s not a typo. The Ground Renewable Expeditionary Energy System (GREENS) uses stackable solar panel arrays and deep cycle batteries to provide electricity for essential functions in the field.
While the Australian Federal Government’s Green Loans program is headed for the scrap heap, Australian financial institutions are recognising there is an increasing demand for solar power systems and creating low interest green loan products for the purposes of purchasing solar power systems.
1,000 solar powered rickshaws are to help reduce transport related greenhouse gas emissions during the upcoming 2010 Commonwealth Games in India.
