Microsoft To Bolster Its Green Power Street Cred
Microsoft has committed to grow the amount of directly-sourced solar, wind and hydropower used in its global datacentres to 50 percent by 2018. Already arguably one of the more sustainable tech corporations on the planet, Microsoft claims to have been 100 percent carbon neutral since 2014, achieved through worldwide internal carbon fees on company business […]
Solar + Storage Could Close California’s Clean Energy Divide
A new report states adding battery storage to California affordable rental housing could almost double building electricity savings compared to just installing solar panels. While California has already racked up quite a few solar and battery storage installations, few of these can be found associated with low-income tenants or owners of affordable rental housing – […]
2.5 Million+ Small Renewable Energy Systems In Australia
Of the more than 2.5 million small scale renewable energy systems now installed across Australia, solar PV arrays (unsurprisingly) make up the majority. According to information from the Clean Energy Regulator; the number of small renewable energy systems in the country as at May 1 came to 2,511,094. That figure doesn’t include the systems for […]
N3FC Coating Could Save Wind Industry Big Bucks
A surprise discovery by a group of researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Argonne National Laboratory could potentially save the global wind power industry millions each year in maintenance costs. The stresses placed on key components such as actuators, bearings and gears housed in wind turbine drivetrains are a major factor in driving […]
Better Solar Feed In Tariff For Regional Queensland
Solar power system owners in regional Queensland will start receiving a more generous rate for their solar electricity exports from July. The Queensland Competition Authority announced on Friday the new feed-in tariff for regional customers in 2016-17 is 7.448 cents per kilowatt hour; 17.3% higher than 2015-16. Those receiving the 44 cents per kilowatt hour […]
PM Turnbull Announces Solar Communities Pledge
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has pledged to create a program offering grants to community groups for the installation of solar panels and battery systems. There’s a small catch though – re-election. The program, which would build on the Solar Towns programme, is part of the $30 million Coalition parks and environment policy announced on […]
Australia’s Largest Home Solar + Storage Trial Announced
SA Power Networks has announced it will roll out 100 heavily subsidised battery systems in the Adelaide suburb of Salisbury. Formally launched yesterday afternoon at the Energy Networks 2016 conference, the program will use Tesla Powerwall battery systems and a Samsung energy storage product. The trial is being run to determine if combining solar and […]
Solar’s $400 Billion Bonus Benefit For The USA
A report from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) shows the American government’s solar energy goals could reap the national economy $400 billion just in environmental and health benefits by 2050 if projected solar uptake is achieved. “We find that a U.S. electric system in which solar plays a major […]
Perovskite Solar Cells Self-Heal In The Dark
With potential power conversion efficiencies of over 25 percent, perovskite solar cells are one of the more promising technologies under the microscope of global research. However, there is a slight problem – expose them to sunlight for too long and they stop working. While most photoactive elements used in the manufacture of solar devices – […]
UNSW Researchers Unveil Solar Breakthrough
Researchers at the University of New South Wales’ Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics have developed a solar cell with a conversion efficiency of 34.5% – a new world record for non-concentrated sunlight. The record was set using a 28 cm2 four-junction mini-module embedded in a prism that splits the incoming rays into four bands. A […]
