Smelting Australia Iron Ore With The Power Of The Sun
Solar powered iron ore smelting could be step closer thanks to the efforts of researchers at Australia’s Swinburne University. The temperatures needed to produce iron from iron ore need to reach between 1,000 and 1,500 degrees Celsius. That requires an enormous amount of energy. According to Low-Tech Magazine, it takes 20-25 megajoules (5,550 to 6,950 […]
Building Better Perovskite Solar Cells
Perovskite solar cell (PSC) technology offers big advantages as a cheap, high-efficiency alternative to silicon-based photovoltaic cells, but producing them in the laboratory can be a bit of a hit-and-miss affair. Scientists from the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), working with researchers at Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU), have developed a method of making […]
SA Government Intervenes On Electricity Prices
The South Australian Government announced yesterday it was stepping in to thwart attempts by SA Power Networks to bump up charges for electricity distribution. Energy Minister Tom Koutsantonis has directed Executive Director of Energy Vince Duffy to deliver an oral submission to the Australian Competition Tribunal in response to an appeal by SA Power Networks […]
New Draft Wind Farm Guidelines For New South Wales
The NSW government is introducing new draft wind farm guidelines – finally updating those released back in 2011. While the draft guidelines didn’t appear to be available at the time of writing, The Australian reports each wind farm development will be assessed on its own circumstances; rather than blanket regulations excluding turbines being situated at […]
Western Australia’s New Museum To Be Solar Powered
The design of the new Western Australian Museum has been unveiled – and solar power is among its features. Brookfield Multiplex was awarded the contract to design and construct the $428 million project, which will be four times the size of the current museum. The development will include 7,000 square metres of galleries; incorporating a […]
An Electrifying Future For Australian Battery Storage
The world’s energy storage revolution is revving up – and Australia will be one of the global leaders in battery uptake out to at least 2025. In a new report, IHS Markit states the global energy storage market is expected to double to 2.9 GWh installed capacity by the end of 2016. Looking past this […]
NSW Government Launches Renewable Energy Map
The New South Wales Government has taken the wraps off a renewal energy mapping application that it hopes will help generate investment in new projects in the state. The NSW Renewable Energy Resource Map (basic viewer/advanced viewer) offers free access to data and information relevant to the state’s renewable energy resources. So far, more than […]
TPV Tech Could Drive Concentrated Solar Power Of The Future
Recent research into molten metal storage and thermophotovoltaics could change the way electricity is generated by concentrated solar power (CSP) plants. Engineers from the Georgia Institute of Technology believe high temperature thermophotovoltaic “blocks” will one day provide a cheap and efficient alternative to the combined-cycle electric turbines currently used to convert heat into energy inside […]
Cheaper, Faster Solar And Battery Storage Installations In NSW
New South Wales residents and businesses installing solar and battery systems can look forward a faster process – and significant savings. Ausgrid, which distributes electricity supply to nearly 1.7 million homes and businesses across Sydney, the Central Coast and Hunter regions, has announced it is streamlining its application process for solar and storage installations up […]
Silicon-Air Battery Breakthrough
Silicon is cheap and plentiful – but using it in batteries has proved to be quite a vexing task. Researchers at Germany’s Forschungszentrum Jülich haven’t given up on the prospect and have made significant headway. We first wrote about silicon-air batteries in 2009. Back then it was predicted rechargeable electric car batteries made using silicon […]
