The purchase of the Southern Hemisphere’s largest tracking solar power plant in Alice Springs raised a few eyebrows this week, garnering a bit of rare (but much-needed) good publicity for the venerable Commonwealth Bank along the way. [Read more…]
Can Queensland be a solar energy powerhouse under the Newman government?
Tim Flannery reckons Campbell Newman may be a closet solar fan. Unlikely?
The Climate Commission’s recent report pointing to Queensland as a potential solar energy powerhouse has caused a bit of a traditional brouhaha in the opinion pages of the press and online journals.
Nothing like a bit of biffo as we say here at SQ headquarters (particularly in the wake of a grand final weekend) so we thought we’d examine the argument, squeeze out more on a favourite theme (government inaction on renewables) and have a bit of a rant ourselves. [Read more…]
UWS solar car takes up the challenge
Here at SolarQuotes HQ we like to keep you updated on solar power technology. From the latest in PV development, to who’s big in solar farms, to breakthroughs in solar panels, we try to keep you, the reader, right on the money in terms of the latest solar energy moving and shaking. In keeping with this tradition we thought we’d pop our head in to see how development on the University of Western Sydney’s solar car challenge was shaping up. [Read more…]
‘Walk for solar’ latest to demonstrate grass roots support for Port Augusta solar power
Can people power get one of these built in Port Augusta?
The Victorian solar industry and supporters are the latest to suffer what is becoming an event as predictable as Gerry Harvey whinging about online retailers at Christmas time. This was when Premier Ted “The Blade” Baillieu’s government announced a slashing of the state’s feed-in tariff from 25 cents per kilowatt hour down to 8 cents.
However despite being hammered left, right and centre by newly-installed conservative governments across the nation, solar energy in this country has always enjoyed massive support from ordinary folk.
So why don’t the pollies (like video refs) see the game the same as the punters? [Read more…]
ACT solar power facility not just hot air
Our Spanish hombres, FRV, are bringing a solar farm like this to Royalla in ACT.
If you thought our nation’s capital was best known for its dodgy laws, war memorials and pollies’ hot air, you’ll need to think again. This last week has seen the ACT Minister for the Environment and Sustainable Development, Simon Corbell, position the ACT as the country’s solar power capital.
How so? Did Mr Corbell move Canberra a little closer to the sun, Icarus-style? Well sort of, with the announcement this week that Spanish renewables firm Fotowatio Renewable Ventures (FRV) is to build a 20MW solar power facility, to be named Royalla, in the District of Tuggeranong. [Read more…]
Where to get quality advice on buying your new solar power system
Finn will be making a video a week for the next 15 weeks…
Well the long winter’s behind us and the new Spring awaits. Emerging blinking into the daylight, solar fans naturally turn their thoughts to increased solar radiation (you thought I was going to say love didn’t you?) as the sun begins its long, slow journey back towards its summer zenith.
Year Zero approaches with Comrade Tony Number One in waiting?
Tony seems to be struggling with the reality of affordable solar
After a week which saw Opposition Leader Tony Abbott perform more gaffes, backflips and nonsensical quotes than the average Barnum and Bailey circus, your columnist thought it high time to check out The Man’s policy on clean energy. This was a bit more difficult than first expected due to the fact that Big Tony, and his front bench colleagues….er… don’t seem to have a properly functioning clean energy policy to present to the Australian people. [Read more…]
Calls for more Australian investment as South Pacific turns to solar
Our neighbour Tokalau is going 100% solar!
As news arrives of solar energy’s gains into our neighbouring South Pacific nations, many movers and shakers in the Australian solar sector are calling on our country to take advantage of this excellent opportunity. Specifically many analysts are saying Australia should position itself as a regional power in solar energy, presumably churning out solar knowledge and PV technology to the Asia Pacific region.
Is that such a bad idea solar fans? [Read more…]
Solar energy Australia: the sky’s the limit
One of the key sub-themes that tends to elbow its way through these SolarQuotes weekly columns is the understating, or inability to recognise, of the potential of solar energy in Australia. Time after time we at SolarQuotes HQ are forced to report on cuts in support from slow-moving and slow-thinking state governments. The bad news is not restricted to the states either with influential Canberra pollies such as Martin “Fossil Fuel” Ferguson bemoaning the alleged lack of growth in the solar sector.
This wouldn’t be so bad except that old Fossil Fuel is Minister for Energy and Natural Resources! [Read more…]
Solar amongst cheapest energy sources by mid 2030s: report
The powers that be are starting to agree with the protestors…
The Australian solar energy sector received a huge morale boost this week with the release of the Bureau of Resources and Energy Economics’ Australian Energy Technology Assessment (AETA) Report. Putting the report’s findings in a nutshell, which is always dangerous, it seems previous reports and energy assessments were, to put it bluntly, dead wrong and renewable sources of energy such as solar and onshore wind are set to have the “lowest levelised cost” of all the energy technologies in the country by around 2035. [Read more…]
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