When we think of Western Australia we generally consider mining booms, expanded gas projects, black swans and the West Coast Eagles football team (and Dennis Lillee and Rod Marsh for those of us with age on our side). But as an Australian leader in solar technology? After a recent government decision to close down its […]
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Japan Looks to Renewables in Wake of Nuclear Disaster
By Rich Bowden All eyes are on the Land of the Rising Sun as the country, still reeling from the effects of the March 11 Fukushima nuclear disaster, looks to build a renewable energy future to reshape its energy needs. Prime Minister Naoto Kan (soon to be former Prime Minister Naoto Kan) has, in the […]
[Continue reading…]Subsidies in Frame as Silex Ends Local Solar Cell Manufacture
By Rich Bowden Solar industry news in NSW this week has been dominated by the announcement by Silex Solar, the last company to manufacture solar cells in this country, that it will discontinue the production of locally made cells. (Note the solar cells are the black, round, saucer sized, plates of silicon, which make up […]
[Continue reading…]China Plan To Whip Australia’s Ass in Domestic Solar Investment
Whilst many Australian state governments dither over the solar feed-in-tariff (FIT) issue, China has come charging out of the changing sheds recently with a brand new, highly-polished, national feed-in-tariff system. They are kicking the world’s ass when it comes to high value manufacturing (where was your iPad made?) and now it looks like they are […]
[Continue reading…]How to Spot a Solar Cowboy
By Rich Bowden OK so you’re almost ready to make that big decision to install solar panels to save on your sky rocketing power bills while doing your bit for the environment. But, mindful of recent poorly-regulated installation disasters (who remembers the Pink Batts saga?) you’re leery of the same type of dodgy operators who […]
[Continue reading…]BP Solar Stops Making Residential Solar Panels
By Rich Bowden: The news that BP Solar will close its global distribution for residential solar panels and related PV products in favour of large scale projects has raised eyebrows amongst solar analysts throughout the world. The announcement came after the company had been in the business of marketing PV products for thirty years, making […]
[Continue reading…]What Odds a Clean Energy Future for Australia?
By Rich Bowden Two points of interest for SolarQuotes readers raised by the federal government this week over the future of energy in this country, one by the embattled PM and the other by her Climate Change Minister (and some would say a possible successor) Greg Combet. It was the PM who got the solar […]
[Continue reading…]Big Solar in Box Seat After Carbon Tax Announcement
This week’s big ticket news item for the solar industry and its consumers was the fillip given to the sector by the federal government’s long-awaited carbon tax announcement. While there is some debate over whether or not the carbon price announced last weekend will go far enough to achieve its primary purpose (i.e. significantly decrease […]
[Continue reading…]Australian Researchers Break World Record for Solar Panel Efficiency
By Rich Bowden Now this is the sort of news your SolarQuotes.com.au correspondent likes to deliver. After weeks of wading through government reversals on solar feed-in tariffs, reporting on the various sniping at the edges of the solar industry and talking about savage cuts from state and federal governments affecting the Australian renewables sector, here […]
[Continue reading…]Uncertainty for SA Solar Industry as Parliament Rejects Feed-in Tariff Increase
By Rich Bowden South Australian investors in rooftop solar energy have been left shaking their heads after events in the state capital this week saw the solar feed-in tariff retained at 44c instead of the promised increase to 54c.
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