Free Home Sustainability Assessments – Still Worth Having Done?
Major recent changes to the Australian Green Loans program that stripped away the possibility for interest free financing for solar power systems has left some householders asking whether a home sustainability assessment is still relevant. According to accredited assessor James Gregory, an assessment is still worth getting done.
USD$500 Billion Being Spent on Fossil Fuel Subsidies
While the amount of money being spent in relation to solar power and other renewable energy subsidies is sometimes criticised, a recent study on energy subsidies found that the world could be spending USD$500 billion annually to subsidise fossil fuels – the majority from subsidised end-user prices.
Solar Electricity And Hot Water Hybrid Panel
Solar panels generate a great deal of waste heat, so why not use that heat to perform another task solar energy has been used for decades to do – heat water.
Tasmania’s Greens Tout Gross Solar Feed In Tariff
Late in February we reported that even with a looming election in Tasmania, none of the parties appeared to have addressed the lack of a suitable feed-in tariff for solar power in the state as an election issue. That situation changed last week with Tasmania’s Greens announcing their “Electrifying Tasmania” pledge.
SunPower Inks 200 MW Solar Panel Deal
SunPower announced yesterday it had secured a contract to provide its solar panel technology for generating up to 200 megawatts, or 80 percent, of the solar power capacity needed for Southern California Edison’s (SCE) major solar photovoltaic installation program.
Kyocera To Begin Making Solar Panels In USA
Where Suntech led, Kyocera is now following. The company recently announced plans to begin manufacturing solar panels in California to serve the local U.S. market’s booming demand for modules.
The Windbelt Windcell Panel Power Generator
When we think of wind power, we often conjure up images of windmill type turbines or vertical wind turbines called VAWTs. Soon we may see a new type of device on the market, the Windbelt by Humdinger Wind Energy.
Australian Solar Rebate Instability Continues
Government rebates and incentives certainly help make acquiring a system much cheaper and speed up return on investment; but solar rebates and incentives in Australia have been somewhat a moving target over the last 10 months, causing confusion for consumers and industry alike.
Solar Cell Made From Pea Plant
Science has endeavouring to help unlock the secrets of how plants so efficiently turn the sun into energy in order to mimic that process. Once the code is cracked, one application is the production of cheap and more efficient solar cells.
Australian Energy Resource Assessment – Renewable Generation ‘Modest’
The first Australian Energy Resource Assessment, described as a national prospectus for energy resources, has been released. While 7% of Australia’s electricity is now generated by renewable means, the majority of that figure is hydro-power. Wind energy is making inroads, but solar power only accounts for around 0.1 per cent of Australia’s primary energy consumption
