Presented by Energy Matters team member Virginia, we take a look at some of the stories from Australia and around the world recently added to our renewable energy news section.
In this episode, 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.
In this episode:
– The minimum electricity retailer contribution to South Australia’s solar feed in tariff has increased. As of this month, the contribution is now 7.1 cents per kilowatt hour fed back into the grid, on top of the 16 cents paid by the distributor. In July this year, this will go up again to 9.8 cents. Next year the tariff will increase again, with a review to be conducted for 2014 onwards. The Essential Services Commission of South Australia said that the new tariff reflected the fair and reasonable value on fed in electricity to retailers. Read more.
– A solar powered remote road monitoring system has been installed to provide safety to Queenslanders during recent floods. The solar powered Eagle Eye Roadside Monitoring Camera and Level Sensor is currently monitoring the behaviour of floodwater at some critical points in Queensland’s road network. By providing real time images to the Department of Transport and Main Roads, the system allows for better management of flood risks. Read more.
– A Perth based company plans to construct a massive solar updraft tower in the Mid-West region of Western Australia. The 200MW project will consist of a central tube containing a turbine surrounded by a large collector area, like a sheet suspended above the ground. When the sun hits the sheeting, it heats the ground and air below it. The heated air rises through the tube, spins a turbine and generates electricity. While construction costs of solar updraft towers are high, operation and maintenance costs are low and do not require any water for cooling. Read more.
– A Photon Laboratory field test has determined REC solar panels produce 6 percent more electricity on average than other panels tested. REC has consistently scored highly over the last few years in the Photon Field Performance Test, which measures how many kilowatt hours a module generates in a year in real-world conditions. The results published in the industry magazine Photon Profi state that the highest performance ratio and also the highest yield were measured by the REC module. REC panels have become a common sight on the rooftops of Australian homes after Energy Matters introduced them to the market in June 2010. Read more.
