EPA busts wind farm myth
13 February, 2013The myth of the noisy wind farm has finally been put to rest, with the South Australian EPA releasing a report showing that wind turbines produce less infrasound than air conditioners and traffic.
Driving clean energy innovation
08 February, 2013The city of Fort Collins, Colorado, USA, has partnered with Schneider Electric and Fort Collins-based Spirae Inc to roll out the area’s first electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. As part of their innovative FortZED (Zero Energy District) project, the city is phasing in EVlink charging stations for installation at the city’s fleet lot, select public parking facilities and private business parking lots.
School installs 60 kW solar PV system
08 January, 2013Autonomous Energy has designed, installed and commissioned a 60 kW Solar PV system at Pymble Ladies’ College. The system was installed in two phases, the first phase (16 kW) was commissioned in July 2011 and the second phase (60 kW) went live in February 2012.
Managing solar for remote communities
08 January, 2013Some Australian electric utilities operate a substantial number of diesel-fuelled power stations for remote communities that are too distant to connect to the main electricity grids. These communities can include hundreds of residents, along with local commercial activities and civil infrastructure to support the region. The wet season can make it difficult to access some communities by road for up to 1-2 months. Photovoltaic (PV) power generation has been identified as the most consistent source of renewable power to cover the daily power consumption profile of these communities.
World's first electricity-generating fabric developed
21 December, 2012The world’s first electricity-generating fabric has been developed by Japan’s solar company Sphelar Power Corporation and the textile industry R&D hub, the Industrial Technology Centre of Fukui Prefecture.
Low Carbon Australia project provides efficiency boost
19 December, 2012Low Carbon Australia is financing an $11 million pilot energy-generation project at Traralgon in Victoria that demonstrates the potential for power security across Australia’s eastern seaboard.
Australia-US partnership to develop next-generation solar cell technology
14 December, 2012A new joint Australian-US research institute led by the University of New South Wales(UNSW) will foster rapid development of ‘over the horizon’ photovoltaic technology and establish Australia as the solar cell research and education hub of the Asia-Pacific region.
Scientists boost solar energy conversion efficiency
14 December, 2012Scientists at RMIT University are attempting to boost the efficiency of solar energy conversion technology with an improved type of solar cell.
ABB wins solar power orders worth $225 million
07 December, 2012ABB has won orders worth around $225 million to supply two turnkey photovoltaic (PV) power plants that will be built in the northern province of Limpopo in South Africa. The orders were awarded by two special-purpose entities, Core Energy and Erika Energy, whose primary stakeholders include SunEdison, a leading global solar energy services provider.
$24 million for smarter energy use in community facilities
29 November, 2012The Parliamentary Secretary for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, Mark Dreyfus, and Federal Member for Maribyrnong, Bill Shorten, have announced the opening of the new Local Government Energy Efficiency Program to help local councils install solar or heat pump hot water systems in community facilities.
Siemens seeks to support Australian supplier for wind towers
27 November, 2012Siemens Ltd, the turn-key supplier of TrustPower’s Snowtown II wind project, is working with newly established Australian wind tower supplier E&A Contractors, a wholly owned subsidiary of E&A Limited, to procure a portion of the 90 wind towers for the newly commenced wind farm development.
The first all-carbon solar cell
21 November, 2012 by Mark ShwartzResearchers have developed a solar cell made entirely of carbon, an inexpensive substitute for the pricey materials used in conventional solar panels.
Voltlogic Statcom four-quadrant inverter
19 November, 2012The Voltlogic Statcom is a four-quadrant inverter designed for connection to low-voltage networks, to combat electricity supply quality problems associated with small-scale embedded generation. It provides additional load or embedded generation capacity on existing low-voltage infrastructure, without the need for augmentation.
Solar takes to the high seas
06 November, 2012Many countries are turning to solar technology and renewable energy because of a need for alternative energy sources and environmental concerns. To help meet these needs, DNV has developed SUNdy, a large-scale offshore solar field concept.
Scientists create first all-carbon solar cell
05 November, 2012Scientists at Stanford University have created the world’s first solar cell constructed entirely of carbon, which they say is a promising alternative to the expensive materials currently used in photovoltaic devices.
