THE installer who fast-tracked Deputy Premier Andrew Stoner’s solar bonus scheme application is a prominent member of the Nationals.Former Port Macquarie councillor Jamie Harrison admitted last night he had pushed Mr Stoner’s application through in the hours before the scheme’s midnight cut-off on October 27 last year. At the stroke of midnight, the feed-in tariff […]
Archive for October 2014 | Monthly archive page
Students from the University of New South Wales in Australia have broken the electric vehicle world speed record over 500 kilometres. The institute’s solar racing team – which goes by the name Sunswift – achieved the speed of 106.966 km/h over the distance in its current vehicle, eVe, on a single battery charge. That shatters the […]
People in regional Australia are finding it harder than capital city residents to pay their electricity bills, a consultants’ report shows. The ‘high cost of living is hurting families’ is not just a political catchcry used in the battle to win votes. It’s a reality for a third of all Australians, who reported to an […]
Energy Minister Mark McArdle has admitted the removal of the solar bonus scheme from power bills will make energy assets easier to sell. The government plans to privatise the energy market if it wins the next election as part of its “Strong Choices” policy. Since announcing its asset sales plan, the government has slowly announced […]
A survey of Australian households has found one in eight people cannot afford to pay their electricity bills. The Ernst & Young survey of households in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland showed more than one in 10 people have missed more than three bill payments in the past 12 months. Survey finds 1 in […]
Local jobs will go if the Abbott government decides to make cuts to its renewable energy scheme, according to Shoalhaven’s largest solar panel installer. Mark Simms, who has built his Nowra-based company Simmark up to employ 14 staff, said the solar industry was stable and sustainable as it is now. “It’s great for local businesses because […]
Australian society is made up of a strong sense of independence, can-do attitude, and healthy scepticism for authority, which is understandable given its geography and history. Therefore, it’s little wonder that household-owned, rooftop solar is the major force in the Australian solar market. Australia is also home to massive youth unemployment, which is sapping the potential […]
Solar lights improving living conditions For residents, the solar lights have been life changing. Typically customers earn less than $2 a day and before having access to solar lights would spend several dollars each week on kerosene. Ms Seller says residents get trapped in a cycle of spending, “which means they can’t save money to […]
