Labor Walks Away From Renewable Energy Target Negotiations
It’s been reported the ALP has broken off negotiations with the Federal Government that would have resulted in the dilution of Australia’s Renewable Energy Target (RET). Had the Abbott Government gotten its way, a gutted RET would have caused the loss of thousands of jobs and also higher electricity prices. Among the few parties to […]
Australian Taxpayers Footing The Bill For Fossil Fuel Exploration
It’s been revealed Australian taxpayers are providing over $4 billion each year for the development of offshore and inland fossil fuel resources. A single year of the subsidies is reportedly enough to install solar panels on half the homes in Queensland. In the case of gas, the industry is being propped up to locate and […]
‘Tinkertoy’ Material Increases Solar Efficiency
A breakthrough technique that lets scientists build dye-sensitised solar cells like old-fashioned ‘Tinkertoys’ could significantly improve the efficiency of the technology, according to USA’s Sandia Laboratory. Researchers successfully combined dye-sensitised solar cells (DSSC) with metal-organic framework (MOF) material – a highly conductive nanostructure that resembles atomic scaffolding, with rigid organic molecules linked together with metal […]
Australian Renewable Energy Investment In Steep Decline
Investment in renewable energy during 2014 in Australia has dropped by 70 percent compared with 2013 states a new report from the Climate Council. The Council also says any emission reductions achieved over the past few years in the nation’s electricity sector have effectively been cancelled out since the repeal of the carbon pricing mechanism. […]
Two Victories For Wind Power
The local and international wind industry will be celebrating after two significant victories relating to so-called ” Wind Turbine Syndrome”. The first was in Canada where the nation’s public health department released the preliminary findings of a study on wind turbine noise (WTN) and health. Health Canada reports: “The following were not found to be associated […]
SMA Inverters To Power 24MW Honduras Solar Farm
SMA has been selected to supply inverters for the largest solar PV plant in Honduras – the 24 MW Pavana Solar Park in Choluteca. 880 Sunny Tripower 24000TL-US three-phase, transformerless SMA solar inverters will be used in the facility along with 22 SMA Cluster Controllers; which provided advanced system monitoring and control. Large central inverters […]
South Africa’s First Solar ATMs Installed
What’s believed to be the first solar powered ATMs in South Africa are now operating in Mpumalanga in the east of the country – and the timing couldn’t have been better. While still grid-connected, the incorporated solar panels and batteries provide power during blackouts. According to ATM Solutions, a solar ATM operated uninterrupted for a […]
The Bamboo Wind Turbine
Inspired by bamboo’s adaptation to wind, University of Vermont engineers are using it to development a low cost micro-wind turbine. Described as ‘vegetable steel’, bamboo has a tensile strength similar to steel – but without the weight and is grown rather than mined. Tensile strength measures the force required to pull a material to the […]
White Solar Panels – A Cool Idea?
The headline is a ‘revolution in renewable energy architecture’. What it means is the world’s first white solar panels with no visible cells or connections. The Swiss company behind the technology, CSEM, claims that today’s blue/black silicon solar power panels don’t blend well with modern building design. They have developed a range of totally opaque […]
Bangladesh Solar Program To Reach 13 Million More People
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has announced a plan to provide 3 million more rural families in the nation with small solar power systems over the next three years. The initiative will build on the success of the DCOL SHS Program that has already seen three million small solar home systems installed. 38 percent of […]
