Tag: new energy news

Recent paper on the situation in Australia suggests that a reverse auction might be a good way of replacing feed-in tariffs. What problem are they trying to fix? The paper itself is behind a paywall, and the author has not responded to my request for a review copy, so I will have to focus on my colleague’s Jesse Jenkins’ overview;

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Samoa has completed the installation of its largest solar project yet – a 546kW PV system that spans three separate sites on two of the independent state’s South Pacific islands, Savai’I and Upolu.The project, developed by US company SunWize Technologies in conjunction with Samoan power utility Electric Power Corporation (EPC), was financed by the government of Japan through the Pacific

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The world’s largest tidal-stream power plant is one step closer to being built after the Australian-founded and managed tidal turbine maker behind the project, Atlantis Resources, raised around $US83 million towards commencing construction.The funds will be used to finance the installation of four 1.5MW turbines in Scotland’s Pentland Firth – a small portion of the 86MW planned for the project’s

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Leading solar researcher Martin Green is aiming to more than double the conversion efficiencies of solar cells through a  new innovative method of stacking solar cells. According to Green, the efficiency of solar cells can be lifted from around 15 per cent boasted by most major manufacturers, to more than 30 per cent and ultimately more than 40 per cent.

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Earlier this month, in Washington D. C. at one of the largest electrical engineering conferences in the world, a speaker from the State Grid Corporation of China outlined a vision for a massive global electricity grid powered by renewables.Zhenya Liu is the Chairman of the State Grid Corporation of China and his company is the largest state-owned electric utility company

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China’s use of coal for electricity could peak as early as next year, then decline until 2020 in a turnaround of “global importance”, according to economist Ross Garnaut in a lecture presented at the Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute, University of Melbourne.The shift means the world has a much better chance of keeping global warming below 2 degrees C — the

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A leading academic has warned that Australia’s world leading solar research could “lose momentum” without a long-term plan and if changes to renewables funding were passed through parliament.Professor Les Field, the deputy vice chancellor (research) at the University of NSW, said on Tuesday that some of the leading research programs were at risk because there was no long-term funding strategy.His

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The Australian renewable energy industry has warned that it faces destruction if – as is now widely anticipated – the Abbott government decides it wants to drastically scale back the renewable energy target, or even close it to new entrants.Miles George, the head of Infigen Energy – the country’s largest listed renewable energy company – warned that such an act

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Norwegian architecture firm Jarmund/Vigsnæs Arkitekter (JVA) recently completed a stunning wooden cabin that shelters hikers from extremely harsh winds and storms. The Rabot Tourist Cabin is located amidst mountains and glaciers in Okstindan, and it was built from local timber boards. Due to its isolated location, this energy-efficient building generates its own power by gathering energy from the sun. The

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Indian renewable energy companies are preparing for long-term investments as the new government gets ready to introduce favorable regulatory initiatives to expand renewable energy infrastructure. One of India’s leading renewable energy companies, Welspun Group, has announced plans to invest Rs 15,000 crore – or $2.5 billion US – to develop wind and solar power capacity over the next three years.

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