More Australian Households Joining Energy Retailer Hardship Programs
The 2015-16 Australian Energy Regulator (AER) report on the performance of the retail energy market indicates more households are doing it tough when it comes to electricity bills. The number of customers with an energy debt who entered a hardship program increased during the period. This was particularly prevalent in South Australia, where the number […]
Canada Accelerates Transition From Coal-Fired Power
New regulations for Canada will see the end of conventional coal-fired electricity generation in the country by 2030. Announced yesterday by Environment Minister Catherine McKenna, coal-fired units will be required to meet a performance standard of a maximum 420 tonnes of carbon dioxide per gigawatt hour (tCO2/GWh) by no later than 2030. This will effectively […]
Solar Power For Buckingham Palace
The Queen might be saving some bucks on boiling the kettle in the future with the installation of solar panels on Buckingham Palace. Buckingham Palace has a long history, but it didn’t become the principal royal residence until 1837; which was when Queen Victoria ascended the throne. The core building itself is far older (17th […]
U.S. Solar Farm Benefits Local Community
Alabama’s Lauderdale County is set to receive a solar-powered employment boost, as construction of the state’s biggest solar project get under way. Public utility Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) last week announced the commissioning of the project at a public ceremony with local officials. The 75-MW River Bend Solar Energy Centre will be constructed on 640 […]
90MW Battery Storage Project Inaugurated In Germany
A 90MW battery energy storage system (BESS) project was officially put into operation in Germany last week, the largest implementation of its kind in the country. Six 15MW lithium-ion battery-based systems have been deployed; one each in Bexbach, Fenne and Weiher and another three in North Rhine-Westphalia. Germany’s transition to sustainable energy, the Energiewende, is […]
Solar Power + Batteries Could Save Kiwis Billions
New Zealand electricity consumers could collectively save billions of dollars through the benefits of PV and storage – and not just those with solar panels. A new report released by the Sustainable Electricity Association of New Zealand (SEANZ) finds there is a huge potential for the clean energy technology, if it is allowed to strut […]
GM Makes Its Largest Renewable Energy Purchase
Automotive giant General Motors has announced a new purchase of wind power that will provide electricity supply equivalent to the requirements of 16 of its U.S. sites and warehouses. The wind power will be sourced through an agreement with Renewable Energy Systems for 50 MW of capacity at its 150 MW Cactus Flats wind farm, […]
Australia’s New Embassy In Washington To Feature Solar Panels
Details of Australia’s new embassy building in Washington D.C were announced on Tuesday by Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop. Australian company Bates Smart has been selected to design the new Embassy; which will replace the existing building constructed in the mid-1960s. The decision to rebuild was based on the cost of renovating the existing structure; […]
QUT Partners With Sumitomo On Concentrated Solar Power Project
Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and Japan’s Sumitomo Electric Industries (SEI) have inked a partnership for a concentrated solar photovoltaic (CPV) demonstration project in in the state; which will include energy storage at a later date. “Our partnership with Sumitomo Electric gives us the opportunity to study the operation of large-scale renewable energy generation and […]
Microsoft Announces Its Biggest Wind Power Purchase
Microsoft has inked two agreements for wind power in the USA, which combined represent 237 megawatts of capacity. Microsoft contracted with Allianz Risk Transfer (ART) to purchase the certificates accompanying the new 178-megawatt Bloom Wind project in Kansas, using a new structure that the company states has the potential to bring clean energy projects online […]