Archive for the ‘Solar’ Category

University of Queensland to open solar research facility at Gatton campus

Queensland researchers hope to demonstrate the true power of the ‘Sunshine State’ when a solar research facility opens at Gatton next year. When launched in February, the University of Queensland’s 10-hectare, $14 million solar photovoltaic research facility will be the biggest in the southern hemisphere. UQ Solar director Paul Meredith said the 3.275 megawatt facility […]

Abbott’s plan to axe RET

The federal government is moving towards abolishing the Renewable Energy Target rather than scaling it back in a move that will cost almost $11 billion in proposed investment and which is at odds with the views of its own Environment Minister. The Australian Financial Review understands Prime Minister Tony Abbott has asked businessman Dick Warburton, whom he […]

Australian households and business added another 70MW of rooftop solar in July

Australian households and business added another 70MW of rooftop solar in July, with more than 16,000 households adding rooftop solar systems in the month. According to Green Energy Markets, the 16,601 rooftop solar systems took the total installs so far this year to more than 108,000, or a total of 450MW across the country. Queensland […]

ABC Four Corners : Solar Power

Newspapers, telecommunications and the entertainment industry have all felt the chill winds of change brought on by new technology. Now science is revolutionising power generation. Technology is making alternative sources of energy cheaper, more user-friendly and, crucially, it’s decentralising production to the rooftops of homes and commercial buildings across Australia. So why is the Federal […]

Senate defeats carbon tax repeal bills but government will try again | The Australian

THE Abbott government will pursue repeal of the carbon tax after Clive Palmer’s party today helped defeat the legislation in the Senate. Palmer United Party senators today voted with Labor and the Greens to block the tax’s repeal, following a row over PUP amendments to the legislation. However the Coalition said it would reintroduce the […]

Solar has won. Even if coal were free to burn, power stations couldn’t compete | Giles Parkinson | Comment is free | theguardian.com

As early as 2018, solar could be economically viable to power big cities. By 2040 over half of all electricity may be generated in the same place it’s used. Centralised, coal-fired power is over via Solar has won. Even if coal were free to burn, power stations couldn’t compete | Giles Parkinson | Comment is […]

Qld electricity providers trying to block solar from grid, lobby group says – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Australia’s peak solar power body fears Queensland’s electricity companies are trying to put people off installing new solar systems. The Australian Solar Council has criticised moves by Ergon and Energex to encourage new customers to install smaller solar systems that do not feed electricity back into the power grid. Ergon and Energex said the changes, […]

UQ, First Solar to build world-leading research centre – UQ News – The University of Queensland, Australia

The University of Queensland has signed a contract with First Solar (Australia) Pty Ltd for the construction of a solar photovoltaic research facility at Gatton. The 3.275 megawatt pilot plant – including more than 34,000 panels in a ground-mounted array – will be Queensland’s largest solar power installation. First Solar will install its advanced, thin-film cadmium telluride […]

Australia’s power generators ill-equipped to cope with carbon limits, says ex-Origin executive

Australia’s electricity generators are largely obsolete and likely future curbs on carbon emissions mean they will probably be replaced by solar and wind energy plants, a former senior executive at one of the nation’s biggest fossil fuel-based power companies said. Andrew Stock, who ran the bulk of Origin Energy’s generators for more than a decade […]

Power Producing Roof Revamps Australian

A clever new renewable energy solution combining COLORBOND® pre-painted steel sheet roofing with cutting-edge, thin-film solar panels is set to provide Australian homes with a streamlined, aesthetically pleasing rooftop energy system that captures the sun’s energy as both electricity and heat.ARENA CEO Ivor Frischknecht joined Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry, Bob Baldwin, to […]