Australia’s Top Solar Postcodes – December 2015
Australia’s solar revolution is continuing and while not at the breakneck pace of years gone by, there are still plenty of households wanting to slash their power bills and turning to the sun to do so. With next-generation home energy storage on our doorsteps; the potential for further reducing reliance on the mains grid will […]
Hydricity – Sustainable Energy For All?
Researchers from the USA’s Purdue University have released details of a new system that uses solar energy to generate electricity while simultaneously producing and storing hydrogen for round-the-clock, emissions-free power production. The concept is called “hydricity”, a theoretical closed system in which solar concentrators produce superheated steam to drive electricity-generating turbines and solar reactors for […]
Round 3 Of Solar Towns Programme Now Open
Applications for funding through the 2015-16 Solar Towns Programme (Round 3) can now be submitted. Part of the Australian Government’s commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the $2.1 million Solar Towns Programme provides funding to community organisations wanting to install solar power systems or solar hot water systems on existing buildings that provide services to […]
Detroit Zoo Switches To 100% Wind Power
Operations at Detroit Zoo are now even greener after a move to sourcing its electricity from renewables. The wind power has been acquired through the purchase of Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) with the support of ITC Holdings Corp. In the USA, a Renewable Energy Credit is similar to the REC system in Australia. According to […]
Solar Farm Moratorium Story Goes Viral
While the benefits of solar energy are now widely accepted, it seems some myths about solar power are still alive and well. Woodland is a town in Northampton County, North Carolina; with a population of around 800. The Woodland Town Council recently rejected a proposal to rezone a section of land north of town; which […]
Cryogenic Energy Storage Plant Opens
The University of Birmingham’s cryogenic energy storage (CES) pilot facility was officially opened in the UK last week. A project of the Birmingham Energy Institute, it’s the UK’s first dedicated research facility for energy storage using cryogenic liquids. The technology is also sometimes referred to as Liquid Air Energy Storage (LAES). A CES system uses […]
Power Paper Energy Storage
Researchers at Sweden’s Linköping University’s Laboratory of Organic Electronics have developed an energy storage device consisting of nanocellulose and a conductive polymer. A sheet of Power Paper 15 centimetres in diameter and just a few tenths of a millimetre thick can store a similar amount of energy as commercially available supercapacitors. It only takes a […]
CEFC Wind Power Investment “Ban” Reversed
Australia’s Environment Minister, Greg Hunt, has apparently informed the Clean Energy Finance Corporation it can invest in new wind power projects with the Federal Government’s blessing. The Sydney Morning Herald reported yesterday the decision is the latest in a series of changes Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has made to ex-Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s policies. In […]
SunEdison Scores 20 Megawatt-Hour Battery Storage Project
SunEdison, Inc. (NYSE: SUNE), announced last week the signing of a 10-year agreement with Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator for the supply 5 megawatts (20 MWh) of battery storage. The project will use vanadium redox flow battery technology from a leader in the sector; Imergy. Flow batteries utilise liquid solutions in two separate tanks separated […]
New Zealand Solar Power Capacity Building (Albeit Slowly)
According to New Zealand’s Ministry of Innovation, Business and Employment, the country added an additional 5 MW of solar capacity between June and September 2015. The latest New Zealand Energy Quarterly states solar electricity generation was up 91.9% compared to last year’s September quarter. The total generation from small solar panels in New Zealand in […]
