Alice Springs solar generation now 10% of town’s power needs
10 December, 2012Today’s launch of Alice Solar City’s fifth and final large iconic project at Alice Springs’ Araluen Arts Centre sees the town now meeting up to 10% of its daytime electricity needs from the sun.
PV power plants to boost South Africa’s renewable program
06 December, 2012Power and automation technology group ABB has won orders worth around $225 million to supply two turnkey photovoltaic (PV) power plants that will be built in the northern province of Limpopo in South Africa.
Scientists create all-carbon solar cell
03 December, 2012 by Mark Shwartz, Precourt Institute for Energy at Stanford UniversityStanford researchers have developed a solar cell made entirely of carbon, an inexpensive substitute for the pricey materials used in conventional solar panels.
Installed price of solar PV systems in the US continues to decline
29 November, 2012The installed price of solar photovoltaic (PV) power systems in the United States fell substantially in 2011 and through the first half of 2012, according to the latest edition of Tracking the Sun, an annual PV cost-tracking report produced by the US Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab).
SMA Solar Technology Sunny Design Web PV plant design
28 November, 2012SMA Solar Technology now offers uncomplicated PV plant configuration via the internet. Plant planners and installers can use the company’s Sunny Design Web software in any current browser without the need to download or install software.
Solar power is contagious
07 November, 2012People are more likely to install a solar panel on their home if their neighbours have one, according to a Yale and New York University study in the journal Marketing Science.
Filming the sun, using the sun
19 October, 2012On the morning of 14 November 2012, the north of Australia will witness a total solar eclipse. Panasonic, using only its HIT solar panels and lithium-ion batteries for storage, will produce a live broadcast of this incredible spectacle live via USTREAM.
Kyocera supplies solar modules for North Queensland’s largest PV installation
18 October, 2012Kyocera Solar recently supplied 348 kW of solar modules that now cover the roof of the Townsville RSL Stadium in North Queensland. The photovoltaic installation is now the largest in North Queensland and will supply the equivalent of two-thirds of the stadium’s energy requirements by utilising the clean, renewable energy of the sun.
Managing solar for remote communities
16 October, 2012Some Australian electric utilities operate a substantial number of diesel-fuelled power stations for remote communities that are too distant to connect to the main electricity grids. These communities can include hundreds of residents, along with local commercial activities and civil infrastructure to support the region. The wet season can make it difficult to access some communities by road for up to 1-2 months. Photovoltaic (PV) power generation has been identified as the most consistent source of renewable power to cover the daily power consumption profile of these communities.
ReneSola Virtus II solar module
12 October, 2012ReneSola has launched the Virtus II solar module. The company’s Virtus cell technology features improvements in the silicon cast and handling processes which, while similar to the polycrystalline manufacturing process, result in a more homogenous crystalline structure.
WA flips switch on large-scale solar project
10 October, 2012Solar power received a jolt of energy as a large-scale photovoltaic solar project was officially switched on. Verve Energy, GE Energy Financial Services and First Solar today opened the 10-MW Greenough River Solar Farm near Geraldton, WA.
RAA delivers solar data in support of the RET
05 October, 2012The Australian Solar Council has congratulated the REC Agents Association (RAA) following the release of groundbreaking data on the cost of the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme (SRES).
Two-thirds of the world’s new solar panels were installed in Europe in 2011
02 October, 2012The 2012 Photovoltaics Status Report, published by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre, summarises and evaluates the current activities regarding manufacturing, policies and market implementation worldwide.
School installs 60 kW solar PV system
24 September, 2012Autonomous Energy has designed, installed and commissioned a 60 kW Solar PV system at Pymble Ladies’ College. The system was installed in two phases, the first phase (16 kW) was commissioned in July 2011 and the second phase (60 kW) went live in February 2012.
NSW cafe installs solar air conditioning
18 September, 2012Specialist bakery and cafe Brioche has installed a solar air conditioner.
