Gympie Solar Farm to Supply 15% of South-East Queensland’s Energy Needs
A Gympie solar farm will supply 15% of south-east Queensland’s energy needs, as the state attempts to meet its target of 50% renewable energy by 2030. A development application has been lodged to build what will be Australia’s biggest solar farm at Gympie in Queensland. Queensland company Solar Q says the $2 billion facility to […]
Cost of wind and solar power worldwide plummet
In a recent report published by United Nations and Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) the average “levelized cost” or total cost of generating power from solar worldwide dropped 17% percent, onshore wind costs dropped 18% and offshore wind turbine power costs fell 28%. TechWorld says that the report comes after a decrease of 13% from […]
Mars Petcare seeks alternative energy sources to battle electricity price hikes
A tripling of energy costs means Australians will soon be paying more to feed their pets, according to global pet food manufacturer Mars. Mars Petcare Australia, producers of Pal, Dine, MyDog, Pedigree, Schmackos and Whiskas, say they have no alternative but to pass the price hike on to their customers. Mars Petcare Australia’s General Manager […]
Apple Recruits Three More Clean Energy Component Suppliers
Tech giant Apple now has seven component suppliers pledging their commitment to renewable clean energy. Two electronics companies and a crystal manufacturer have stepped up to the challenge, meaning Apple now gets 96 per cent of its energy from renewable sources, according to Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president in charge of sustainability and government affairs. […]
Solar powered device harvests clean drinking water from air
Scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and University of California Berkeley have developed a solar-powered device capable of harvesting clean drinking water from thin air. The technology relies on a special foam-like material – a metal-organic framework, or MOF – that “sucks” water into its pores from dry air using ambient solar heat. In […]
Commercial Energy Storage Systems For Walmart Stores
40MWh (megawatt hours) of battery systems will soon be installed at 27 Walmart stores across Southern California. Advanced Microgrid Solutions (AMS) has announced it will design, install and operate its Hybrid Electric Building systems for the company. AMS says these will improve energy efficiency, guarantee the retailer electricity savings and provide grid services to local […]
Portland And Multnomah County Pledge 100% Renewable Energy
The City of Portland (Oregon, USA) and the county in which it is located have committed to 100% renewables by 2050 – and that’s not just electricity. Earlier this week, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler outlined details of the goal that will see all of Multnomah County’s electricity needs met by renewable sources by 2035 and […]
Save As You Go Solar Street Lighting
The zero-deposit, save as you go concept for home solar power systems has been extended to street lighting by a UK company. Many councils and local governments throughout the world would probably be open to switching to solar street lights. According to the Australian Government’s EnergyRating web site, here in Australia there are approximately 2.28 […]
New Solar Cell Material Exceeds Shockley–Queisser Limit
U.S. researchers have successfully demonstrated a novel hybrid solar material capable of generating more than twice the amount of energy from sunlight than conventional silicon cells. The new crystalline material shares characteristics with silicon, but is instead made using perovskite as a semiconductor. Testing has shown it exceeds the so-called Shockley-Queisser Limit – the theoretical […]
How To Build A Better, Cheaper Solar Inverter
A three year project to develop a concept for the next generation of solar PV inverters has claimed success, resulting in a more efficient and cost effective design. The project, which commenced in 2014, was led by researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE in collaboration with leading inverter manufacturer SMA, Fraunhofer […]