Posts By Staff Writer On SolarQuotes

Time to batten down the hatches as China, EU solar trade war looms

August 3, 2012 2017-10-25T10:24:15 by Leave a Comment
chinese and EU fists

Is the next solar trade war between China and Europe?

News on the international solar front is not good this week solar fans, with rumblings of a trade war between China and the EU.

The dispute revolves around German company SolarWorld AG which has asked the European Union to investigate allegations of dumping by Chinese-based solar firms. Instead of keeping their heads down and riding out the quarrel, Chinese firms Yingli Green Energy, Suntech Power Holdings Co., Trina Solar and Canadian Solar (which operates in the country) have come charging out of their corner, swinging punches like a drunken flyweight. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Solar Policy Tagged With:

Australia’s solar sector from a German perspective

July 26, 2012 2017-10-25T10:24:48 by Leave a Comment
How much solar contributed to german electricity production on July 23

Great illustration of how much solar can contribute to a nation’s power needs. Source: www.Facebook.com/EnergyRebellion

Reading news of the Australian solar industry, the recent carbon tax and our energy industry in general can become a little wearisome. The constant carping, criticisms from conservative politicians and vested interests can make it difficult to “see the light” in news reports and articles with regard to the solar industry.

Dare I say certain fossil-fuel interest-driven politicians, combine with (again unnamed) news outlets to paint the renewable energy picture as one of risk and expense instead of a brave new sustainable and clean energy future for the country? [Read more…]

Filed Under: Solar Policy Tagged With: ,

Solar Flagships set to sail in country NSW but will it survive?

July 19, 2012 2017-10-25T10:25:00 by Leave a Comment
desert

Juat add 1,000,000 solar panels!

Nice to report on a good news story in renewable energy. News this week from ABC Broken Hill of negotiations which will see up to a third of a 600 hectare station to the west of Broken Hill covered in around one million (count ‘em) photovoltaic (PV) solar panels by 2015.

Geoff Luke, the owner of the station, told the ABC the finalised project was the result of protracted negotiations with energy company AGL.

“It would be close to two years now that we’ve been chatting about it and finally it looks like it’s come to fruition,” he said.

The partnership with AGL has been made possible by the opportunities provided by the often much maligned (by solar narks) Federal Government’s Solar Flagships Program. Mr Luke confirmed that the project had been accepted into the Flagship’s program and was ready to er…sail. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Big Solar Tagged With: ,

Subsidising solar development for polluters

July 12, 2012 2017-10-25T10:25:13 by 1 Comment
Bluescope steel logo

Bluescope want your taxes!

A news item caught your correspondent’s eye last week. According to an ABC local news report of 4 July, the government is set to shell out half of the required funding for a project which will allow solar panels to be integrated into metal roofing. Due to one of Australia’s most polluting companies being on its knees due to the carbon tax (inserts <sarcasm></sarcasm> tags here) we, the taxpayer, are to contribute $2.3 million of this $5 million solar power project for Bluescope Steel. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Economics Of Solar Tagged With:

Queensland’s feed-in tariff: playing politics with solar?

July 5, 2012 2017-10-25T10:25:25 by 2 Comments
Solar Cuts

Solar Feed In Tariffs axed in Queensland

Unsurprising news this week that solar feed-in tariffs in Queensland will be cut from one of the country’s most generous (0.44c per kilowatt hour) to 0.8 cents per kilowatt hour has led the solar news this week in Australia.

Regular readers of this column may be expecting your correspondent to fly off into an anti-state government tirade about favouring earth-destroying fossil fuels over the renewable energy industry. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Solar Policy Tagged With: ,

Solar brings down electricity prices says report

June 25, 2012 2017-10-25T10:25:49 by 1 Comment
pylons

Without solar – wholesale electricity would be more expensive.

Last week we here at SolarQuotes HQ we were thrilled to bring you news of a major CSIRO report which found that solar energy intermittency — defined as when cloud cover causes a reduction in the efficiency of energy drawn from the sun — can be successfully managed.

To the great consternation of solar critics and the delight of solar fans, the major study found that, not only could proper management techniques limit the problem of solar intermittency, but it could also contribute to solar energy taking its rightful role as a major energy source in Australia.

This week we’d like to follow up that with another cracker study: this time from the REC Agents Association (RAA). According to this report, the increased takeup of solar by Australian consumers has contributed to a reduction in power consumption and a lowering of wholesale electricity prices across the National Electricity Market. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With:

Solar intermittency can be managed: CSIRO report

June 18, 2012 2017-10-25T10:26:00 by 1 Comment
Sun and clouds

Do those pesky clouds mean we can’t use solar as base load power?

One of the chief criticisms fossil fuel narks level against solar power is its alleged inability to provide baseload power. This is defined as the minimum amount of energy needed over a 24 hour period to satisfy the utility’s customers. What about cloud cover? This is the critics’ plaintive cry and rallying point as they call for further subsidies for their beloved, earth-destroying coal and oil fuelled energy sources.

They have a point though, what of cloud cover (known as solar intermittency) reducing solar’s effectiveness? According to the aforementioned narks, solar power is unable to provide energy reliability due to this factor preventing the full exploitation of the sun’s energy potential and therefore cannot be considered a reliable form of energy. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Big Solar Tagged With: , ,

Using social media to sell solar

June 12, 2012 2017-10-25T10:26:14 by Leave a Comment
liking solar on social media

We ‘like’ solar!

Solar fans who spend a lot of time on Facebook may have noticed how the number of pages with a solar energy theme have mushroomed over the past year or so. Whatever the concerns that may exist over Facebook’s looseness with personal security, and apparent inability to conduct a well-organised IPO, solar companies and other renewable organisations obviously feel it provides an excellent platform to promote the game changing qualities of renewable energy.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Solar Innovations Tagged With:

Can Aussie solar soar despite sorry policy options?

June 6, 2012 2017-10-25T10:26:28 by Leave a Comment
a graph showing 94% vs 6%

Most Aussies Seem To Like Solar Power

A couple of renewable energy reports released recently have shown how important solar power is to the country and outlined (again) its major potential as an energy source. Unfortunately the studies also reveal how much our politicians still have a lot of catching up to do to reach the general consensus held by most Australians.

Firstly the results of the 100 Percent Renewable poll in which over 40 groups canvassed the opinions of around 12,000 Australians over renewable energy. The results were an extraordinary 94 percent of those polled believe that the government should do more to assist the construction of big solar plants in the country. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Solar Policy

Solar Impulse and the future of air travel

May 28, 2012 2017-10-25T10:26:47 by Leave a Comment
The solar impulse plane flying

The future of the flying kangaroo?

Peak oil has either hit us, or is likely to arrive any time soon depending on the report or opinion you read. The scarcity of this resource (and the undoubted price gouges that will accompany its dive down the supply curve) will force policymakers to completely rethink the way our economy’s energy needs are structured as the resource that has driven our lives since the Industrial Revolution rapidly dries out. So, solar energy innovation anyone? [Read more…]

Filed Under: Solar Panels Tagged With:
Get The SolarQuotes Weekly Newsletter