Are millions of solar roofs making solar farms pointless?
Utility scale solar, or solar farms, are fields of PV panels which generate electricity that is fed directly into the grid. Currently we don’t have much of this in Australia. Over 99% of our solar...
View ArticleCoal vs Solar – Which is more space efficient?
This is a guest post by Greg Bell – which was conceived in the comments section of another post on this blog. Take it away Greg: ——- Some things we can say we know for sure about photovoltaics – the...
View ArticleIndia’s renewable energy sector on cusp of greatness
As we in Australia struggle with a federal government attitude to renewables halfway between apathy and utter neglect, things continue apace on the sub continent. Indeed India’s renewable energy policy...
View ArticleFossil fuel city flips to renewables
It’s not a surprise that the U.S. city of Georgetown has decided to go 100 percent renewable, after all solar has become an unstoppable force. What does raise eyebrows though is that Georgetown is in...
View ArticleHas AGL rung the death knell for Oz fossil fuels?
Two major stories lead the debate over solar power in Australia this week, both throwing up intriguing developments for our renewable energy future. Both asking the question: are we seeing the last of...
View ArticleChina puts faith in large-scale concentrating solar power as world watches
China was in the renewable energy news again this week though this time it wasn’t about the latest in solar panel technology or trade disputes. For the big (read huge) story was Chinese regional media...
View ArticleSolar energy in Texas rides into town
Texas. Land of wide open spaces, cowboys, the Bush family, Tex-Mex food and barrels and barrels of oil. At least that’s the mental image I conjure up when I think of the state, mostly through memories...
View ArticleThe changing face of Australian solar as confidence returns
There’s a new spring in the step of investors in big solar as confidence that has been lacking during the Abbott years has been boosted following the Turnbull takeover. The level of enthusiasm for...
View ArticleSolar thermal electricity could generate 12 percent of world’s energy by 2050...
A major report released last week has predicted solar thermal electricity (STE) has the potential to power six percent of the world’s energy by 2030 and 12 percent by 2050. The scenario is based on the...
View ArticleChernobyl Gives Solar Power 3 Thumbs Up!
Why shouldn’t you wear underpants made in the Soviet Union? Because Cher-nob-yl fall out. And if you think that terrible joke doesn’t apply to you because you are female just spend some time in...
View ArticleBifacial Solar Panels May — Straight Up — Dominate Australian Solar Farms
Last week I wrote about double glass bifacial panels that are able to use light coming from the front and behind, while on Christmas Eve I mentioned large scale solar farms are taking off in Australia....
View ArticleRenewable Energy Surge Could Power A New Industrial Australia
In spite of the best efforts of our government, Australia is going to overshoot 100% renewables. That’s the conclusion of big names in renewables like Oliver Yates (inaugural CEO of the Clean Energy...
View ArticleBuild It And They Will Come: Transmission Key To 100% Renewable Energy
If you wanted to block the expansion of renewable energy, a good place to start is to put bureaucratic roadblocks in the way of new, long distance electricity transmission infrastructure. Discussing...
View ArticleAC? DC! Why SunCable Chose DC To Export Aussie Sun to Singapore
I first learned about how the electricity grid works in the early 1980s, which meant I was taught the conventional wisdom of the times: high-voltage AC (alternating current) transmission was ubiquitous...
View ArticleConfession: I Believed Solar PV Was Causing LV Network Over-Voltage Problems....
You’ve heard the one about how the growth of grid-connected solar power is causing voltage rise on low voltage (LV) networks? I sure have. I’ve written plenty about the phenomenon, often with an eye to...
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