A Kangaroo Island Powered By 100% Renewable Energy?
A new study will examine whether South Australia’s Kangaroo Island can disconnect from the mainland and switch to 100 percent renewable energy. The University of Sydney’s (UTS) Institute of Sustainable Futures is conducting the study with the assistance of $60,000 funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA). Kangaroo Island is considered a “fringe of […]
MilkPod – Solar Powered Milk Chilling
A fully solar powered bulk milk chiller is making a positive impact in some farming communities in Kenya. Rural farmers supplying regional dairies need to chill milk to 3.3 degrees Celsius within 4 hours of milking – and that temperature has to be maintained until it can be transported to the dairy. In some developing […]
NT Home Improvement Scheme A Rip-Roaring Success
A Northern Territory government initiative that can knock an additional couple of thousand dollars off the price of a solar power system has been very well received. The scheme, which formally launched just a few weeks ago, has already generated almost $3 million dollars of work for Northern Territory tradespersons and small businesses. “The Home […]
Massive Wind Turbine Blade Unveiled
What’s claimed to be the world’s longest wind turbine blade was unveiled in Denmark last week. Production of the 88.4 metre blade was a joint project of Adwen and LM Wind Power. The blade has been designed for Adwen’s AD 8-180, a wind turbine with 8MW nominal capacity and 180 meter rotor diameter. “When you […]
Solar’s Coming Up Roses
Another application of biomimicry, this time based on rose petal structure, has boosted the conversion efficiency of organic solar cells. Biomimicry searches for answers to various technology challenges through emulating nature’s own solutions. In the field of solar research, biomimicry has been utilised to assist in boosting sunlight conversion efficiencies. Researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute […]
Tasmania Electricity Price Rise, But Higher Solar Feed In Tariffs
All businesses and households in Tasmania on standing offers face a power price rise of 3.43% from July 1 – but there’s a bit of good news for solar owners. The Tasmanian Economic Regulator gave its stamp of approval to the electricity price increase on Wednesday. “The price increase is mainly due to increases in […]
Solar PV Could Provide 13% Of Electricity Globally By 2030
The share of electricity generated by solar photovoltaics could be as much as 13 per cent globally in just 14 years says the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). A new report from IRENA, Letting in the Light: How Solar Photovoltaics Will Revolutionize the Electricity System, estimates solar capacity has the potential to reach as high […]
Second Basslink Cable Good For Renewables Industry
The prospect of a second Basslink cable between Tasmania and the mainland continues to gather support after Tasmania’s recent energy crisis (and another Basslink outage yesterday). On Tuesday, the Clean Energy Council applauded the Federal Government’s commitment to a second undersea Basslink cable, saying it was an important step in Australia’s transition towards a 21st […]
Australians Saving Billions With Rooftop Solar Panels
Solar Citizens’ latest State Of Solar report reveals Australians are collectively saving megabucks on electricity bills by putting their rooftops to work in harvesting the power of the sun. In the report, Solar Citizens says it has calculated the savings solar owners have made on their electricity bills since 2007-2008. The results reveal solar households […]
Another Ultra-Thin, Super-Flexible Solar Cell
This development makes the previous ultra-thin solar cell we reported on look a little bloated. In March, we wrote about a solar cell developed by MIT researchers that was just 2.3 microns thick and light enough to sit on a soap bubble. This new solar cell is around 1 micron thick – approximate 1/100th of […]
