Australia finds that more rooftop solar PV adopted by middle class households

Australia now has the highest penetration of residential rooftop PV of any country in the world. Adam McHugh, Honorary Research Associate at Murdoch University explains in an article on The Conversation website that new research suggests that the households most likely to join in the solar spree are those that are affluent enough to afford … Continue reading Australia finds that more rooftop solar PV adopted by middle class households →

Japan leading the way with solar roads and power-generating floors

In order to promote Tokyo as an eco-friendly city, particularly ahead of the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics, the local government is installing solar panels beneath the surface of roads. The problem is not technical but financial. The costs are high, particularly since the technology is not widely used. This is the first of two articles … Continue reading Japan leading the way with solar roads and power-generating floors →

Increased deployment of solar PV together with energy storage playing important role in energy transition

The increasingly competitive dynamic duo of solar photovoltaic plus battery storage is taking energy markets by storm according to Daniel Rothberg in an article on the Resilience website. Suddenly, Solar Energy plus Storage is Giving Conventional Fuels a Run for their Money The energy dynamic around renewables is changing so quickly in Colorado that … Continue reading Increased deployment of solar PV together with energy storage playing important role in energy transition →

A vast grid of homes combining to create first virtual power plant

As we well know, Tesla is doing more than firing its cars towards Mars. Thomas Tamblyn writes in the Huffington Post about plans in Australia to create a virtual power plant. Participating homes in South Australia will get free solar panels and a Tesla battery. Australia And Tesla Are Building The First 'Virtual Power … Continue reading A vast grid of homes combining to create first virtual power plant →

Second largest roof-top solar power plant in Europe installed at Turkish flat glass factory

The Daily Sabah website reports about the installation of the second largest solar power plant in both Europe and Turkey. This is an important development for the country. Turkish glass producer Şişecam founds Europe's second largest roof-top solar power plant With its installed capacity, Şişecam has set up the second largest solar power plant … Continue reading Second largest roof-top solar power plant in Europe installed at Turkish flat glass factory →

Making greenhouses even greener

Two of my uncles had large greenhouses and one was probably (almost certainly) Canada’s first commercial organic farmer so there has always been a fascination with this industry. It is encouraging to read an article by Sydney Pereira on the Newsweek website how there are now demonstrations to have greenhouses both produce electricity and grow … Continue reading Making greenhouses even greener →

Latest developments in lowering costs of photovoltaic systems

Abby Harvey writes on the Power website about the progress made in lowering the cost of utility-scale solar in the United States. U.S. Utility-Scale PV Meets Subsidy-Free Price Target Three Years Early U.S. utility-scale photovoltaic (PV) systems have achieved the targets set by the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) SunShot Initiative three years early, the … Continue reading Latest developments in lowering costs of photovoltaic systems →

Cleaning dirty urban water using solar panels

One city in California is planning to save local government money by using solar panels to clean dirty water. Thaddeus Millertmiller explains in an article on the Chowchilla News website. Solar panels will save Chowchilla money, city says Chowchilla plans to clean its dirty water with help from the sun, which leaders say will … Continue reading Cleaning dirty urban water using solar panels →

Solar PV and America’s energy transition

The installation of new PV has been going from strength to strength in recent years, until last year. Hiroko Tabuchi writes an important article in the New York Times about some of the factors related to those changes. Rooftop Solar Dims Under Pressure From Utility Lobbyists Over the past six years, rooftop solar panel … Continue reading Solar PV and America’s energy transition →

First digital energy marketplace for rooftop solar

With the rapid expansion of rooftop PV systems, it is encouraging to read this article by Bianca Nogrady in The Guardian about the world’s first digital energy marketplace. It will be interesting to see how this expands to other countries Australian consortium launches world-first digital energy marketplace for rooftop solar Australian homeowners with solar … Continue reading First digital energy marketplace for rooftop solar →