Falcon To Help Reduce Wind Turbine Bird Strikes
The U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have enlisted an avian partner in research aiming to reduce bird fatalities caused by collisions with wind turbines – a Peregrine falcon named Houdini. Although wind farms only account for a very small percentage of bird deaths in the States each year compared to the amount killed by […]
Paper Silicon Solar Cells Possible
While paper silicon solar cells mightn’t be such a great thing; new technology developed by researchers at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands that will make it possible is. Printable electronics to date have mainly focused on the use of organic and metal-oxide ink materials given their compatibility with the application process. However, these […]
Mount Emerald Wind Farm Gets QLD Government Nod
The Queensland Government has granted approval for the Mount Emerald Wind Farm, which will be located south of Mareeba on the Atherton Tableland in Far North Queensland. “Our government promised to grow the renewable energy industry across the state and this project is aligned with the Far North Queensland Regional Plan 2009-2031 energy objective,” said […]
Trina Sets New Solar Panel Efficiency Record
Trina Solar announced last week its State Key Laboratory of PV Science and Technology of China has set a new world record for high efficiency p-type multi-crystalline silicon solar panels. Trina says its test Honey Plus multi-crystalline silicon module attained a new module efficiency record of 19.14% with an aperture area of 1.515 m2. The […]
Home Energy Storage – It’s All About Tesla (Or Is It?)
All eyes will be on Tesla this week as the eagerly awaited Tesla home battery is unveiled. The online world was abuzz last week when Jeff Evanson, Tesla’s VP of investor relations, said details of the Tesla home battery and a very large utility scale battery would be announced on April 30. In February, Tesla […]
South Africa’s First Solar Powered, Off-Grid Cemetery
Unreliable electricity supply has cost South Africa 10% of GDP – and property developer Calgro M3 is doing something about it by embracing off-grid solar. In what it describes as a first for South Africa, the company is about to launch a subsidiary that will operate completely off-grid and generate its own renewable energy to […]
SEIA Celebrates Solar On Earth Day.
The U.S. Solar Energy Industries Association celebrated yesterday’s 45th annual Earth Day, with SEIA president Rhone Resch forecasting the USA’s current 20 gigawatts of solar capacity will double by 2016. According to the industry group, all solar market sectors – residential, non-residential and utility scale – will grow by 25-to-50 per cent in the next […]
SunEdison To Transform Old Landfill Into Solar Power Station
SunEdison, Inc. (NYSE: SUNE) has signed an agreement to develop a 2.6 megawatt solar power plant on a 12 acre ‘brownfield’ site in Winchendon, Massachusetts. The previously unusable old landfill will soon be saving Winchendon up to $8 million on electricity over the duration of a 20 year power purchase agreement (solar PPA). The clean […]
Pakistan’s Parliament Goes Solar
Pakistan’s parliament has received an interesting gift from China – a solar power system. According to PakistanToday, the President of the People’s Republic of China, Xi Jinping, and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif inaugurated the 1.2MW project on Tuesday, which will supply power to the parliament building Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif said President Xi Jinping’s […]
Stanford Researchers Develop Viable Aluminium-Ion Battery
The decades-long search for a safe, fast-charging, long-lasting and inexpensive aluminium-ion battery may soon be over thanks to Stanford University scientists. An effective battery based on aluminium has been a holy grail of sorts for battery researchers as aluminum is plentiful, has low flammability and high energy storage attributes. One of the major challenges has […]
