Coal Power Haunts South Australia’s Port Augusta
The coal-fired Northern Power Station in South Australia’s Port Augusta may have shut down nearly 8 months ago, but a potentially toxic legacy remains. Ash left over from burning coal was stored in a 220 hectare site close to the shuttered station. It had been treated with a dust suppressant in November, but heavy rains […]
International Space Station Gets A Battery Upgrade
NASA astronauts have installed adapter plates and electrical connections necessary for three of six new lithium-ion batteries to be installed on the International Space Station. The 6.5 hour exercise was the first of two spacewalks planned to finalize the installation of the lithium-ion batteries, which will replace 12 of the space station’s nickel hydrogen (Ni-H2) […]
Australian Solar Feed In Tariffs – State Of Play
There were several changes to solar feed in tariff arrangements in some Australian states when the calendar flipped over to January 1. Here’s a summary. The change having the biggest impact on solar households and businesses was in New South Wales. Participants in the legacy NSW Solar Bonus Scheme who had been receiving 60 cents […]
Green Tech Uptake Must Dramatically Accelerate
A tenfold jump in green technology such as renewables is required to meet global emissions targets says a new study out of Duke University in the USA. The analysis shows per-capita carbon emissions have increased about 100 percent every 60 years since the Second Industrial Revolution, a period commencing at the end of the 19th […]
UK Small Businesses Powering Up With Solar Energy
According to a new report from the UK’s Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), 12% of small commercial enterprises across the nation are generating their own energy, predominantly via solar panels. However, more needs to be done to encourage the other 88 per cent says the FSB. It points out most of the self-generation (61%) is […]
Study Finds Solar Powered Pacemakers Feasible
Using solar cells implanted under the skin to recharge electronic medical devices such as pacemakers is viable according to Swiss researchers. A pacemaker is a small electronic device implanted in the chest or abdomen to help control abnormal heart rhythms through the generation of low-energy electrical pulses. Many Australians are have pacemakers – approximately 15,203 […]
Taking The Sting Out Of Summer Air Conditioning Bills
Some consider air conditioners in Australian homes aren’t a feature, but the symptom of a problem – an indication of poor house design. It’s an issue that costs all of us; whether we have air-conditioning or not. Australia’s homes are notoriously “leaky”, permitting uncontrolled flow of heat in and out says Wendy Miller, a Senior Research […]
209MW Of Solar Panels Installed In Scotland
More than 50,000 solar power systems have been installed across Scotland; but the tally could have been much higher by now according to WWF Scotland and the Solar Trade Association. At least 49,000 homes and 1,000 business premises in Scotland now have solar panels fitted. One of the significant commercial installations we recently covered was […]
Alberta, Canada Kicks Off New Carbon Tax
The Canadian province of Alberta has started the new year with a carbon levy, which together with tougher rules for large industrial emitters will cover 78-90% of Alberta’s emissions. As originally announced in 2015, the carbon levy has been charged on all fuels that emit greenhouse gas emissions, depending on the circumstances, from January 1. […]
The UK’s Renewables Powered Xmas
More than 40 percent of the UK’s electricity was generated by renewable sources on Xmas day 2016. According to figures released by power company Drax, renewables generation was up 63 percent on the same day in 2015, which saw 25 percent of British energy generated by green sources. On Xmas Day in 2012, just 12 […]
