The solar eclipse offered electricity network operators a “live drill” in how to cope with fluctuating output from renewable energy. They passed with flying colours.
A report released this week by the Australian Council of Social Service has pointed out that many vulnerable households cannot access rooftop solar and efficient appliances, describing the issue as a serious…
Solar PV outstripped coal as the leading source of new electricity generation worldwide last year.
AAP Image/Lukas Coch
Solar PV and wind energy have overtaken coal as the leading sources of new electricity generation worldwide, with falling prices and new storage technologies making clean energy ever more attainable.
Getting your strata committee to agree to solar panels is tricky, but it can be done.
Stucco
Apartment-dwellers risk being left behind in the rooftop solar boom. But some projects are showing how apartments can join the transition to a distributed renewable energy future.
Some states are poised for a 500% growth in rooftop solar panels by 2030.
AAP Image/Tracy Nearmy
A new report predicts a boom in household solar and batteries as Australia’s electricity networks move to a more sustainable footing, with some states poised for a 500% boost in rooftop solar.
Western Australia’s largest private solar array covers the roof of this food distribution centre in Perth’s south.
AAP Image/Bidvest
Despite its name, the National Electricity Market doesn’t reach WA. But those charged with guiding the eastern states’ energy transition should look west once in a while.
This array in Indiana is one of a growing number of “community solar gardens” in the US.
Robford15/Wikimedia Commons
Without help, lower-income people could miss out on the clean energy revolution – hence the arrival of community projects aiming to boost access to solar panels, batteries and other green technology.
Solar panels can be both a headache and an opportunity for network companies.
AAP Image/Tracey Nearmy
Managing voltage on the electricity network has always been an issue. But solar panels have the potential to make the situation better, not worse as some have feared.
Solar subsidies encouraged a massive take-up of solar panels in Australia.
Solar image from www.shutterstock.com
Joe Wyndham, University of Technology Sydney and Jay Rutovitz, University of Technology Sydney
Now that our rooftop solar industry has matured, we need to reconsider the purpose of feed-in tariffs and align them with our goals for the electricity system in the future.
Rooftop solar proves a challenge to keeping prices low on the grid.
Solar image from www.shutterstock.com
Individual light-harvesting protein complexes have a remarkable ability. Light, which is normally effectively harvested, is also used to finely control how much of it should be harvested.
Small power generators like solar panels take pressure off the electricity grid.
Solar image from www.shutterstock.com
It’s not just about finding money for things like solar panels – poorer households can also find it harder to gain access to reliable information about the green energy options they do have.
There are plenty of ways to cut energy use, especially in old houses.
AAP Image/Paul Miller
The Coalition has asked CSIRO to develop a “roadmap” towards commercialised clean energy. It’s a good idea as long as the plan is clear, and there’s enough money behind it.
Thinking of going solar? Prices are approaching the cost of grid electricity, but only in some places – so far.
joncallas/flickr
When will residential solar be cheaper than the cost of power from the grid? This point of ‘grid parity’ is a moving target but moving closer in a number of places.
Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg, speaking on Q&A.
Q&A
Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg told Q&A that Australia has the highest number of solar panels on people’s roofs per capita anywhere in the world. Is that right?
Large-scale solar projects have been highlighted for investment in the new fund.
Solar image from www.shutterstock.com
Homebuyers want energy-efficient homes. The challenge is to present the relevant information in a way that taps into the typical house-hunter’s mindset.