Economic modelling shows emissions trading is effective
A summary of economic modelling shows emissions trading is an effective approach to reducing New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions in the long term, according to NZ Climate Change Minister David Parker. The report summarises general equilibrium modelling undertaken by Infometrics for the government’s Emissions Trading Group and the Climate Change Leadership Forum convened in October […]
NZ trading scheme needs changing to protect natural resources
New Zealand’s emerging emissions trading scheme needs to be changed to protect natural resources, a government-commissioned report has said. While emphasising that the cap-and-trade scheme for greenhouse gas emissions will bring positive effects on NZ’s environment, it could have a negative impact on biodiversity and areas for renewable energy generation, warned researchers at Cawthron. The […]
SILICON VALLEY PROMISES SOLAR POWER “CHEAP AS COAL” WITHIN YEAR
Silicon Valley start-up company SUNRGI, says it has developed a “concentrated photovoltaic” system that uses lenses to magnify sunlight 2000 times, reducing the size of solar arrays and producing more energy in a smaller space. Other concentrated photovoltaic makers magnify sunlight about 500 times. SUNRGI says it can multiply that by four because it has […]
Calls for national solar feed-in tariff
Payments to Australian households to encourage the installation of solar panels look set to become a reality, as the Federal Opposition unveiled plans for a national feed-in tariff scheme. Feed-in tariffs pay households above the retail rate for electricity generated by solar panels. The Queensland and South Australian state governments have already approved their own […]
Federal opposition warms to solar
Federal Opposition spokesman for Climate Change, Greg Hunt, says the coalition is committed to solar power as an important part of Australia’s energy future. Citing “enormous breakthroughs” in solar energy storage capacity, Mr Hunt says Australia could become the first “solar continent.” “I think the science is moving very quickly,” Mr Hunt told ABC Radio. […]
Solar power for schools on the rise
More and more schools realise that solar power is a viable option for their school community to reduce their carbon footprint. For example for 10 months, students at Sydney’s Pittwater High organised raffles and lobbied local businesses and finally raised $85,000 to go solar. "We could no longer sit on our hands and hope that […]
$3m to reduce PNG deforestation
The Australian Government will provide $3 million for joint activities with Papua New Guinea to help reduce deforestation under the PNG-Australia Forest Carbon Partnership. At the Australia-PNG Ministerial Forum in PNG,
US Govt invests $50m in renewable energy demonstration projects
The US Department of Energy plans to invest up to $50 million over five years, in nine demonstration projects competitively selected to increase efficiency in the nation’s electricity grid. The Renewable and Distributed Systems Integration (RDSI) technologies demonstrated in these projects aim to reduce peak load electricity demand by at least 15 per cent at […]
Emission trading scheme tax arrangements need clarification
The Taxation Institute of Australia is warning that the proposed carbon trading scheme could reap more than $14 billion in businesses tax unless the Australian Government takes immediate steps to clarify the tax effects of the proposed carbon trading scheme. The $14 billion is based on the assumption that permits are required by all companies […]
Should PV Dealers Sell Solar Thermal?
PV dealers-How many times have you had conflicts with other contractors and wished you could have done the whole job yourself? Are you seeing too much business slowdown as winter approaches? Purchases of thermal systems increase in the fall, as PV sales tend to decrease. Now is the time to widen your horizons! You already […]
