Goldman Sachs report recommends investors back renewables

December 9, 2015 2017-10-25T09:28:57 by Leave a Comment
Those crusty greenies at Goldman Sachs are bullish about renewables and efficiency.

Those leftie greenies at Goldman Sachs are bullish about renewables and efficiency.

Goldman Sachs divides opinion. There are those who say the financial behemoth may have engineered — and certainly profited from — the 2008/2009 Global Financial Crisis. However backers insist that the investment giant is an example of good old fashioned American “get up and go” and what’s a few billion between friends/taxpayers anyway.

But this week saw another side of the company. One where it encouraged investors to invest in renewables for the sake of the low carbon future and for the health of their bottom line. [Read more…]

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Do solar panels increase house value? 85 percent of Aussies think so

November 30, 2015 2017-10-25T09:29:10 by 6 Comments

 

for sale sign and solar panels

A recent study shows that solar really does increase the value of your home.

Australians overwhelmingly believe solar panels increase house value, according to joint research carried out earlier this year by Origin Energy and RealEstate.com.au and their optimism is backed by a number of surveys.

The Origin/RealEstate research found that 85 percent of respondents believe that having solar panels adds value to the home. Having a PV system rated the highest, leading energy efficient appliances, solar hot water and water tanks.

“This research demonstrates that solar panels could provide a real boost for homeowners if they decide to sell,” said Phil Craig, Executive General Manager of Corporate Affairs at Origin Energy. “Origin want to encourage Australians to start recognising their empty roof space could be an asset,” he added.

REA Group Chief Product Officer Henry Ruiz described having solar panels as “… a valuable investment” for homeowners.

[Read more…]

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Solar + Flywheel Microgrid Saves 400,000 Litres of Diesel Annually

September 10, 2015 2017-10-25T09:32:40 by 8 Comments
solar diesel

Solar has been installed with a huge flywheel to smooth its output in WA. The result is a town that is 60% solar powered, and a 400,000 litre reduction in annual diesel usage. Great Aussie innovation!

We’ve all seen the success of solar energy in our cities and regional towns. Australians are voting with their rooftops for clean, green solar power and the trend is increasing as solar reaches grid parity. But what of communities in our vast Outback? What of our small remote towns currently reliant on polluting fossil fuels such as diesel? It is here that microgrids, solar energy and the Outback are coming together to create a new, cleaner energy future.

In doing so, these microgrids for remote communities are giving the country a glimpse of a new way of accessing energy. [Read more…]

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NEO report: Solar to lead $3.7 trillion charge as renewables outstrip fossil fuels

June 30, 2015 2017-10-25T09:34:58 by 2 Comments
solar panels and a placard

Trillions will be invested in renewables up to 2040

The way humans go about getting their electricity is set to change forever, according to an influential report by Bloomberg New Energy Finance. The New Energy Outlook 2015 (NEO) study, which was handed down last week, also found that solar energy would be at the vanguard of the change towards a more renewable future. [Read more…]

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Here comes the sun: Saudi oil minister flags end of fossil fuels

May 26, 2015 2017-10-25T09:36:14 by 5 Comments
oil on solar panels

Solar is going to smash the oil industry

When the Saudi oil minister says his country will switch to solar you know the jig is up for fossil fuels. Such a defining moment occurred in Paris this week when Reuters, the Financial Times and The Guardian all reported Minister Ali Al-Naimi as admitting the days of oil exports in his country were limited.

The comments were delivered to attendees of a climate and business conference where Naimi outlined a new direction for Saudi Arabian exports.

“In Saudi Arabia, we recognise that eventually, one of these days, we are not going to need fossil fuels, I don’t know when, in 2040, 2050… so we have embarked on a program to develop solar energy,” Ali Al-Naimi told the conference.

“Hopefully, one of these days, instead of exporting fossil fuels, we will be exporting gigawatts, electric ones,” he added.

[Read more…]

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Did solar energy get a leg up in the budget?

May 20, 2015 2017-10-25T09:36:28 by 3 Comments
solar panels

Small business can get a tax break on installing solar. Thanks Mr Hockey!

The Treasurer’s annual allocating of the shekels has come and gone and renewable energy fans are asking about solar energy in the Budget. How did we fare? Were we the subject of further cutbacks, maulings and downgradings as part of this federal government’s campaign against all things renewable?

Well yes and no is the best answer. [Read more…]

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Solar will be the dominant energy source by 2050 (thanks to batteries)

March 9, 2015 2017-10-25T09:39:10 by 4 Comments
solar battery

Batteries are getting 15% cheaper every year.

More evidence emerged this week of the imminent arrival of the solar storage revolution. First was a report by the Deutsche Bank, the latest to predict that solar will become the dominant energy source by 2050, displacing other traditional energy such as fossil fuels.

“Over the next 20 years, we expect the electricity market to double to $US4 trillion and expect the solar industry to increase by a factor of 10. During this timeframe, the solar industry is expected to generate $5 trillion of cumulative revenue,” said the report.

[Read more…]

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ET Solar Panels win government support

February 4, 2015 2017-10-25T09:40:00 by Leave a Comment
commercial solar installation

Government backed CEFC has joined forces with ET Solar Panels to power large Aussie businesses.

What do ET Solar Australia and the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) have up their sleeves to promote ET solar panels for large commercial businesses in our country?

There’s more than one way to skin a cat. And more than one model for financing solar energy. This was amply demonstrated last week with the release of the CEFC’s plan to stump up $20 million with the solar energy provider ET Solar in a new innovative partnership that has proved radically successful in overseas countries. [Read more…]

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The importance of China for our solar sector in 2015

January 6, 2015 2017-10-25T09:44:32 by 3 Comments

chinese solar panelWhen we look at the year ahead for renewable energy, and try to divine the development of the Australian solar market, one of the first conclusions is the importance of neighbouring countries. I’m talking here of the continued role China plays in solar energy in Australia.

It’s not an exaggeration to say that cheap, quality solar panels from China have driven the domestic demand for solar panels in Australia. Despite wide open spaces for solar farms and abundant sun, Australia is lagging behind the rest of the world in renewable energy. We haven’t taken our rightful position as one of the leaders in the world in developing large scale renewable energy as we should. [Read more…]

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Unsubsidised solar cheaper than fossil fuels in Chile

December 29, 2014 2017-10-25T09:44:48 by 10 Comments
chilean flag

Unsubsidised solar is cheaper than coal in Chile. Australia here we come!

One of the key questions that remains in what has been a forgettable year for Australian renewable energy policy development is: when will unsubsidised solar reach cost parity with fossil fuels? Will it be in 2015 or 2016 that this occurs? Or should we look further into the future? The question is of course crucial as reaching this point in time will sweep away any criticism from the fossil fuel argument that coal, oil is cheaper to produce than renewable energy such as solar power.

If you listen to fossil fuel lobbyists you’ll get the impressions that cost parity is decades away, however the truth is that it is already here in some parts of the world. [Read more…]

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