The advantages of solar energy in rural communities is well documented. Particularly those who are located in more remote parts of the land and countries where access to the grid is difficult, if not impossible. For isolated communities in developing countries face enormous problems, both financial and logistical, to access centralised energy. To remedy this, […]
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Australia to lead world in solar and battery storage: report
How long before solar and battery storage becomes the cheapest way to access electricity in Australia? A decade? Twenty? Thirty years? Only three years according to a new report from the Climate Council, which also found that an expected half of all Australian households will soon have solar and battery storage. Should this eventuate, it […]
[Continue reading…]The High Cost Of Very Cheap Solar
The best deal is very rarely the cheapest deal. This is something we all understand intuitively. So why do we get so easily get seduced by unbelievably cheap solar deals that appear so totally believable? Let me be totally up front with you. I did not set up SolarQuotes as a tool for people to find […]
[Continue reading…]How To Find Solar Friendly Electricity Tariffs By Hacking Government Data
If you own a solar system but haven’t shopped around the electricity retailers in a while, your bills are probably higher than they need to be. The big gentailers, Origin, AGL and Energy Australia have made their disdain for solar very clear. They all lobbied to scrap government support for small scale solar during Tony […]
[Continue reading…]Pane relief on its way with transparent solar cell technology
Completely transparent windows that generate solar power have been a goal for researchers for many decades. Previous attempts at transparent solar cell technology have achieved only partial success with the windows left with a decided tinted effect and the resulting office/room space. This is not the ideal working conditions for offices, unless of course you […]
[Continue reading…]Harry Potter-style invisibility cloaks to improve solar cell efficiency?
In a development that will bring a smile to the faces of Harry Potter fans, researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) announced this week the success of using invisibility cloaks to improve solar cell efficiency. While the technology sounds very J. K. Rowling, the benefits of invisibility cloaks for solar cell efficiency — […]
[Continue reading…]Have we turned the corner on clean energy policy?
Trying to determine the present government’s stance on renewables is confusing to say the least. Has the Turnbull/Bishop palace coup brought on a complete rethink of clean energy policy? Have we seen the end of the relentless “war on renewables” of the Abbott era? Or is it more of the same? It’s too early to […]
[Continue reading…]Stanford team develops coating to boost solar cell efficiency
Contrary to popular thought, heat reduces solar cell efficiency. As the cells heat up from the direct glare of the sun, their efficiency in converting light into electricity drops markedly. Depending on the system used and the location, losses can reduce output up to 10 to 25 percent. This conundrum has vexed the industry for […]
[Continue reading…]We ask five experts: Will battery storage change the way we live?
In the first of a series from SolarQuotes, we ask five eminent experts in the clean energy field to discuss four questions on a selected topic. This month we’ve selected “battery storage” as the launching pad for some fascinating discussion and advice. Solar and battery storage has been one of the clean energy talking points […]
[Continue reading…]Australia watches Turnbull Experiment 2.0 on clean energy
So what did you think of the dawn of the Turnbull Experiment 2.0? Is this going to be a new way forward for renewable energy in this country? A move away from the scorched earth policy of the Abbott administration? Or will it be a better-dressed, better-spoken continuation of the Abbott government’s war on renewables?
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