RE100 Companies Closing In On Renewable Energy Targets
On average, companies participating in the RE100 initiative are at the halfway mark of meeting their 100% renewables-sourced electricity goals. RE100 is a collaborative initiative involving dozens of major companies that have committed to 100% renewable electricity. Aside from the direct positive environmental impact, the initiative helps set an example to other companies large and […]
Grid Scale Energy Storage – Cost Vs. Value
While investment cost reductions in grid-scale energy storage are important, it’s the growing value of specific storage options in specific contexts that matters more says the World Energy Council. The Council paints a brigh future for energy storage, but says an obsession with cost alone could be resulting in misconceptions about its real value in […]
U.S. Solar + Energy Storage Funding Announced
The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded $18 million in funding for six new projects concerned with integrated, scalable and economical solar + storage technologies. “Energy storage, solar PV and smart grid technologies experienced incredible growth in 2015, and we expect they will play an increasingly important role in reaching the nation’s climate and clean […]
Economic Case For Doubling Renewables In The Energy Mix
The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) has stated the economic case for increasing the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix to 36 percent by 2030. Boosting to such a level would have major impacts on international trade of fossil fuels, plus increase global gross domestic product (GDP) by up to 1.1 percent, […]
SMA Announces Powerwall-Compatible Solar Inverter
Germany’s SMA has released initial details of a high-voltage battery compatible inverter for residential applications, reportedly compatible with Tesla Powerwall. ——- UPDATE – October 4. Sunny Boy Storage 2.5 is now available in Australia from Energy Matters. —— The new SMA Sunny Boy Storage offers an AC-coupled system for high-voltage batteries, meaning it can be […]
More Renewables The Answer To Tasmania’s Energy Security Woes
More wind and solar power are key to preventing Tasmania again finding itself in the position the state is in now. The Basslink interconnector between Tasmania and Victoria has been out of action since December 20 last year. It’s not expected to be operational again until mid-March; raising the spectre of electricity rationing for big […]
Queensland Solar Battery Trial Commences
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk yesterday launched an Energex trial of three battery storage systems, including a Tesla Powerwall battery configuration. “New technologies like solar battery storage will dominate the next phase of the solar energy industry, and with it a whole new opportunity for new jobs,” said Ms Palaszczuk. The Premier also inducted 22 new […]
Record Wind And Solar Power Installations In 2015
64GW of wind power and 57GW of solar PV was commissioned last year, a jump of nearly 30% over 2014 according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF). Global total investment in clean energy also set a new record in 2015 – USD $328.9bn. This was up 4% from 2014’s $315.9bn and beat the previous all-time […]
Solar Parking Lots To Provide $30 Million Saving For 25 Schools
SunEdison, Inc. (NYSE: SUNE), last week announced the signing of solar power purchase agreements (solar PPA‘s) with dozens of schools that will see solar car parking canopies constructed at each facility. The solar PPA’s involve 25 elementary, middle, and high schools in the California unified school districts of Dixon, Downey, Duarte, Livermore and Newman Crows […]
Juno Breaks Solar Powered Space Vehicle Record
In the early hours of yesterday morning Australian time, NASA’s Juno probe broke the record for humanity’s most distant solar powered spacecraft. Juno was launched aboard an Atlas V-551 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Aug. 5, 2011 and is now approximately 793 million kilometers from the sun. Attached to the craft are three 9-meter […]