tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7626592213632992702024-03-21T23:06:26.416+08:00Green Energy WASolar News From Around The WorldGreen Energy WAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13986553046730159152noreply@blogger.comBlogger136125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762659221363299270.post-66672563049743075882013-04-26T11:55:00.001+08:002013-04-26T11:55:30.686+08:00Where is your state in the solar race?<span style="background-color: white; color: #6d6e71; font-family: helvetica, arial, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Solar households now represent almost 1.7 GW of installed capacity says Professor Ray Wills, chief adviser to the </span><a href="http://www.seaaus.com.au/" style="background-color: white; color: #0092a7; font-family: helvetica, arial, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Sustainable Energy Association</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #6d6e71; font-family: helvetica, arial, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> (SEA).</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #6d6e71; font-family: helvetica, arial, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #6d6e71; font-family: helvetica, arial, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #6d6e71; font-family: helvetica, arial, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #6d6e71; font-family: helvetica, arial, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">The impressive tally, gained from data up until the end of March sourced from the Australian Clean Energy Regulator, shows while solar power system installation rates have slowed a little from 2011 when 860 MW capacity was installed, an additional 600 MW of small scale solar capacity is likely to be added this year.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #6d6e71; font-family: helvetica, arial, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #6d6e71; font-family: helvetica, arial, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #6d6e71; font-family: helvetica, arial, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #6d6e71; font-family: helvetica, arial, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Queensland leads the nation both in terms of installed solar by number of systems and capacity.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #6d6e71; font-family: helvetica, arial, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #6d6e71; font-family: helvetica, arial, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #6d6e71; font-family: helvetica, arial, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #6d6e71; font-family: helvetica, arial, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">A breakdown of each state:</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #6d6e71; font-family: helvetica, arial, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #6d6e71; font-family: helvetica, arial, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #6d6e71; font-family: helvetica, arial, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #6d6e71; font-family: helvetica, arial, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Queensland: 209,217 systems, 475,136 kW capacity</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #6d6e71; font-family: helvetica, arial, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #6d6e71; font-family: helvetica, arial, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">New South Wales: 194,980 systems, 435,739 kW capacity</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #6d6e71; font-family: helvetica, arial, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #6d6e71; font-family: helvetica, arial, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Victoria: 128,013 systems, 266,736 kW capacity</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #6d6e71; font-family: helvetica, arial, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #6d6e71; font-family: helvetica, arial, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">South Australia: 107,544, 254,149 kW capacity</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #6d6e71; font-family: helvetica, arial, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #6d6e71; font-family: helvetica, arial, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Western Australia: 104,653, 218,914 kW capacity</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #6d6e71; font-family: helvetica, arial, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #6d6e71; font-family: helvetica, arial, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Northern Territory: 1,551 systems, 5,140 kW capacity</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #6d6e71; font-family: helvetica, arial, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #6d6e71; font-family: helvetica, arial, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Tasmania: 7,881 15,666 kW capacity</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #6d6e71; font-family: helvetica, arial, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #6d6e71; font-family: helvetica, arial, verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Brought</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #6d6e71; font-family: helvetica, arial, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> to you by - <a href="http://www.gewa.com.au/" target="_blank">http://www.gewa.com.au</a> - No1 for solar hot water and solar energy in Perth WA.</span>Green Energy WAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13986553046730159152noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762659221363299270.post-17587944870763332102013-04-26T11:45:00.000+08:002013-04-26T11:45:41.964+08:00Australia hits the 1 million mark!!<br />
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
In our latest <a href="http://www.gewa.com.au/" target="_blank">Green Energy WA</a> news.</div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
Australia has reached one million rooftop solar systems installed on homes and businesses, capping off a massive rise over the past decade of federal and state incentives.</div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<ul style="border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://www.smh.com.au/environment/energy-smart/rising-cost-prompts-solar-purchase-20130404-2h9oh.html?rand=1365109054537" style="border: 0px; color: #484848; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Time to buy solar?</a></li>
</ul>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
The one million mark was exceeded on March 12, with an analysis of government data by solar industry consultants SunWiz finding 1,011,478 systems had been installed across the country at the end of last month.</div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
The growth in rooftop solar has rapidly increased from fewer than 900 installations in 2006 to more than 300,000 last year.</div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
Clean Energy Council chief executive David Green said about 2½ million Australians now lived in homes with solar panels.</div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
"It is remarkable when you think that just five years ago in 2008 there were only about 20,000 systems installed across the entire country," Mr Green said.</div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
"For some years solar has been most enthusiastically embraced by those in mortgage-belt suburbs, retirement areas and regional parts of the country. People from all walks of life have been installing solar as a way of protecting themselves from power price pain over the long term."</div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
Federal and state governments have reduced or axed incentives for rooftop solar over the past few years, citing the large costs of the schemes and the falling cost of rooftop solar largely due to mass manufacturing in China.</div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
Critics say those incentives for rooftop solar, namely feed-in tariffs, increased the power costs for consumers because a premium was paid for solar power fed back into the electricity grid. Some bodies have also questioned whether subsidising rooftop solar as a way to cut greenhouse gas emissions is efficient and cost effective.</div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
Despite the massive take up of solar photovoltaics (PV), the technology still produces only a small proportion of Australia's electricity needs. Coal is still the dominant supplier of electricity, while hydro and wind are the largest renewable energy sources.</div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
SunWiz data found that over the past year, the 2725 gigawatt hours of power generated by solar PV represented about 1.2 per cent of Australia's electricity needs.</div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
But the rapid take-up of solar panels has been credited with contributing to a recent fall in electricity demand, alongside falls in manufacturing and behaviour changes due to rising power prices.</div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
Of the states, Queensland has the most solar systems installed, at 304,000. NSW follows with 227,663, and then Victoria at 177,851.</div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
SunWiz managing director Warwick Johnston said the cuts to government incentives were expected to reduce the number of solar panel installations over the next four years.</div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
But he said installation rates would remain higher than those in the early part of past decade.</div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
Brought to you by <a href="http://www.gewa.com.au/" target="_blank">Green Energy WA</a> - No1 for Solar Hot Water and Solar Energy Panels.</div>
<span style="border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /><br />Read more: <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/national/solar-hits-the-million-mark-despite-cuts-to-incentives-20130404-2h9st.html#ixzz2RXNc2N5w" style="border: 0px; color: #003399; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.smh.com.au/national/solar-hits-the-million-mark-despite-cuts-to-incentives-20130404-2h9st.html#ixzz2RXNc2N5w</a></span>Green Energy WAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13986553046730159152noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762659221363299270.post-11709608325910797262013-04-02T15:27:00.003+08:002013-04-02T15:27:58.280+08:00Market to reach 31 GWS - Led by China<br />
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #555555; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
The photovoltaic market will continue its growth in 2013 albeit a little slower than in the past few years, according to a new NDP Solarbuzz report. The report projected that the PV market will grow about 7 percent this year to 31 gigawatts 29 GWs in 2012. The report also predicted that Germany’s solar market will finally be outpaced by China, which will be the world’s largest PV market in 2013.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://fbexternal-a.akamaihd.net/safe_image.php?d=AQAlNfteGAXQ2f7v&w=155&h=114&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.atissun.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2013%2F03%2FPV-market-will-reach-31-GWs-this-year-led-by-China-emerging-markets.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://fbexternal-a.akamaihd.net/safe_image.php?d=AQAlNfteGAXQ2f7v&w=155&h=114&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.atissun.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2013%2F03%2FPV-market-will-reach-31-GWs-this-year-led-by-China-emerging-markets.png" width="197" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #555555; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
“In 2013, we expect to see improvement in the market fundamentals that enable PV demand to return to double-digit growth,” Said Solarbuzz Senior Analyst Michael Barker. “Installed-system prices will continue to fall, and PV will become increasingly cost competitive across regions with high electricity rates, shortages in domestic supply, and growing renewable obligations to fulfill.”</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #555555; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
Overall, the top 10 PV regions, which will include the U.S. and Canada, will still account for 83% of global PV demand. But 2013 will start to see a shift to emerging markets from Europe, which had been solar’s largest market. “2013 will represent another transition year, as the PV industry adjusts to softness across legacy European markets,” Barker said. Such a change has been <a href="http://www.cleanenergyauthority.com/solar-energy-news/lux-research-forecasts-future-of-solar-market-010611/" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #006699; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">projected in the past</a> but it now looks like it is coming to pass.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #555555; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
Instead <a href="http://www.cleanenergyauthority.com/solar-energy-news/u-s-falls-behind-china-in-clean-energy-investments-040611/" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #006699; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">China</a>, <a href="http://www.cleanenergyauthority.com/solar-energy-news/japan-fit-quickly-expand-solar-market-091412" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #006699; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Japan</a>, and <a href="http://www.cleanenergyauthority.com/solar-energy-news/indian-solar-development/" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #006699; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">India</a>, will account for an increasing amount of PV demand and lead to 11 GWs of PV demand in 2013 thanks to new policies, according to the report. “The Chinese end-market will largely compensate for the downturn in demand from Germany, which previously led PV demand,” Barker said. The shift will also come because of further reductions in Europe’s incentives, which Solarbuzz projected will drive down demand there to 12 GWs, 26 percent less than installed in 2012.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #555555; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
In terms of installation types, Solarbuzz projected that with 45 percent of the market ground-mount arrays will dominate demand for solar in 2013. That’s largely because policies are favoring utility-based deployment. Residential market will remain a leader Japan, Germany, Australia, Italy, and the U.K. In those places, the residential sector of the solar market is expected to remain above 20 of all demand in those countries. The company also projects those countries will account for 75 percent of all residential installations in 2013.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #555555; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
Looking forward, the report projects that Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America, the Middle East and Southeast Asia will make up more of the global demand from 2014 on. While it will consist of less 8 percent of global demand this year, Solarbuzz projected it will double by 2017, driven primarily by South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Israel, and Mexico.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #555555; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
Brought to you by <a href="http://www.gewa.com.au/" target="_blank">Green Energy WA</a> </div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #555555; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
Source: <a href="http://www.cleanenergyauthority.com/solar-energy-news/pv-market-will-reach-31-gws-031213" style="border: 0px; color: #006699; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">www.cleanenergyauthority.com</a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #555555; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #555555; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
Green Energy WAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13986553046730159152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762659221363299270.post-70660614571312777842013-03-21T22:30:00.002+08:002013-03-21T22:30:41.884+08:00Suntech bankrupt <br />
<h2 class="article-intro" itemprop="description" style="background-color: white; color: #01405f; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0px 0px 14px;">
Suntech Power Holdings, the China-based maker of solar panels, declared bankruptcy on Wednesday, the state news agency Xinhua said.</h2>
<div class="article-content" itemprop="articleBody" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;">
<div style="line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 12px;">
On Monday of this week, according to <a href="http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/03/20/china-suntech-bankruptcy-idUKL3N0CC22I20130320" style="color: #01405f; outline: none;" target="_blank">Reuters</a>, <a href="http://www.suntech-power.com/" style="color: #01405f; outline: none;" target="_blank">Suntech</a> said that it had defaulted on US$541 million of its bonds due on Friday, triggering defaults on loans from the <a href="http://www.ifc.org/" style="color: #01405f; outline: none;" target="_blank">International Finance Corporation</a>and various Chinese lenders.</div>
<div style="line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 12px;">
Industry experts will not be surprised by the latest high profile casualty to be hit by bankruptcy, as <a href="http://www.renewableenergyfocus.com/view/31360/preview-pv-shipments-up-but-revenues-nosedive/" style="color: #01405f; outline: none;" target="_blank">oversupply and low prices have crippled the industry</a>.</div>
<div style="line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 12px;">
"PV industry growth has followed a significant, often dramatic, upward trajectory. But unfortunately, revenues have followed an unprofitable path," says Paula Mints, founder, and chief market research analyst at <a href="http://paulamspv.com/" style="color: #01405f; outline: none;" target="_blank">SPV Market Research</a>.</div>
<div style="line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 12px;">
According to research by SPV, the top PV manufacturers have been losing considerable amounts of money: "The manufacturers [in the table below] shipped 58% of total shipments in 2012. Revenues for the manufacturers [in this table] were 65% of total revenues in 2012. But at the same time, the manufacturers [in this table] lost a combined US$2.1-billion last year".</div>
<div style="line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 12px;">
Mints believes that a pricing recovery may not come quickly: "Currently the average price for PV modules is <US$0.70/Wp, with inventory trending significantly lower. High levels of inventory will keep prices down in 2013.<br />The good news is that deployment of technology will continue at high levels. The bad news is that manufacturer failures will continue. Once the consolidation in the industry is complete, PV module prices will increase".</div>
<div style="line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 12px;">
<em style="line-height: 15.671875px;">NB: Paula Mints will be writing about the current predicament in the PV industry in the latest issue of Renewable Energy Focus magazine. The article will contain charts looking at PV Industry growth (2002-2013 estimate) and Regional PV Shipments and Average Selling Prices (2002-2012)</em><span style="line-height: 15.671875px;"> </span><a href="http://www.renewableenergyfocus.com/the-magazine/" style="color: #01405f; line-height: 15.671875px; outline: none;" target="_blank"><em>For a free signup click here</em></a><em style="line-height: 15.671875px;">. </em></div>
<div style="line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 12px;">
<em style="line-height: 15.671875px;">Solar Energy News from <a href="http://www/gewa.com.au" target="_blank">Green Energy WA </a></em></div>
<div style="line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 12px;">
<em style="line-height: 15.671875px;"><br /></em></div>
<div style="line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 12px;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Green Energy WAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13986553046730159152noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762659221363299270.post-34576885584621046332013-03-15T17:22:00.002+08:002013-03-15T17:22:38.290+08:00What do you think?<br />
<div class="overview" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 1.2em; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 1.5em; outline: none; padding: 0px;">
The Climate Change Authority discussion paper has recommended keeping Australia's Renewable Energy Target unchanged. <br style="outline: none;" /><br style="outline: none;" />This will be welcomed by the overwhelming majority of Australians who strongly support renewable energy. <br style="outline: none;" /><br style="outline: none;" />A stable target means investors can confidently commit another $18 billion in Australian renewable energy projects, employing 30,000 Australians. <br style="outline: none;" /><br style="outline: none;" />A stable target means renewable energy can become increasingly accessible and affordable for all Australians. <br style="outline: none;" /><br style="outline: none;" />It also means renewable energy can continue to lower Australia's carbon emissions and reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. <br style="outline: none;" /><br style="outline: none;" />It's a recommendation that makes sense for investors and for all Australians who want renewable energy to be an important and viable part of Australia's energy future. <br style="outline: none;" /><br style="outline: none;" />That's why we look forward to continued bipartisan support for an unchanged Renewable Energy Target.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.5px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; outline: none; padding: 0px;">
Discover <a href="http://www.cleanenergycouncil.org.au/resourcecentre/RET/renewables-in-australia.html" style="color: #1372af; outline: none; text-decoration: none;">why a strong renewables sector is important for Australia</a> and reflect on the <a href="http://www.cleanenergycouncil.org.au/resourcecentre/RET/history-of-RET.html" style="color: #1372af; outline: none; text-decoration: none;">history of the RET</a></div>
Green Energy WAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13986553046730159152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762659221363299270.post-20856311515564716412013-03-15T17:06:00.004+08:002013-03-15T17:06:53.778+08:00Be careful out there!!<br />
<h1 style="color: green; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-top: 8px;">
Police scareware scam continues to target Australians</h1>
<div class="contentscamwatchLatestNews">
<div style="font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
March 2013: SCAMwatch is urging people to continue to be alert to a scareware scam where scammers posing as the Australian Federal Police (AFP) try to scare you into handing over money to regain control of your computer.</div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
A SCAMwatch alert on this scam was previously issued in October 2012, yet contacts to the ACCC have continued to increase since the beginning of the year.</div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
This scam involves internet users finding that their computer has been frozen, with a pop-up alert appearing on their screen. The alert claims to be from the AFP and states that the user’s computer has been locked because they have visited an illegal website or breached various laws. The scammer claims that they will unlock the computer if a fee is paid.</div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
The AFP does not solicit funds and this message is not associated with the AFP in any way.</div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<strong>Don’t let a scammer ransom you – if you pay, you are not guaranteed that you will regain control of your computer and there will likely be significant data losses once the virus is removed or computer unlocked.</strong></div>
<h2 style="background-color: #f0f0f0; color: green; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 7px; margin-top: 8px;">
How these scams work</h2>
<ul style="font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; list-style-image: url(http://www.scamwatch.gov.au/content/item.phtml/tag/swArrow);">
<li style="margin-bottom: 8px; margin-top: 4px;">You visit a website or receive an email that scammers have infected with scareware.</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 8px; margin-top: 4px;">Out of the blue, your computer freezes and you receive a pop-up alert from what appears to be a reputable authority such as the Australian Federal Police. The alert may include a police logo to make it appear legitimate.</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 8px; margin-top: 4px;">The alert states that your computer has been frozen because you have violated a law or visited an illegal website. Common claims made by the scammers are that you have violated laws around privacy, copyright or child pornography. </li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 8px; margin-top: 4px;">In order to unlock the computer, you are instructed to pay a ’fine’ – usually $100 or $199 – using a prepaid money service. These services involve you purchasing a money voucher from a store, which can then be used to make online payments.</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 8px; margin-top: 4px;">If you pay, the scammers may or may not unlock your computer. Even if you do regain access to your computer, malware may continue to operate so that the scammers can use your personal and financial details to commit fraud.</li>
</ul>
<h2 style="background-color: #f0f0f0; color: green; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 7px; margin-top: 8px;">
Protect yourself</h2>
<ul style="font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; list-style-image: url(http://www.scamwatch.gov.au/content/item.phtml/tag/swArrow);">
<li style="margin-bottom: 8px; margin-top: 4px;">Be wary about which websites you visit and do not open emails from unknown senders – emails may contain malware and some sites may automatically download malicious software on your computer.</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 8px; margin-top: 4px;">Before you download a file, make sure it is from a reputable source. If the file, is a program (for example, the file name ends with .exe) make sure you know exactly what it will do.</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 8px; margin-top: 4px;">Always keep your computer security up to date with anti-virus and anti-spyware software and a good firewall. Only buy computer and anti-virus software from a reputable source.</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 8px; margin-top: 4px;">Be careful what you store on your computer – if a scammer gains access to your personal data, they can use it to steal your identity and your money. If you think your computer has been infected, contact your bank or financial institution immediately and change your passwords.</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 8px; margin-top: 4px;">If you receive a pop up alert and are unable to perform any functions on your computer, it may have been infected and you might need a computer specialist to remove the malware. If you are able to perform some security functions on your computer, use your security software to run a virus check.</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 8px; margin-top: 4px;">If you have received this scam, unfortunately your computer’s security has been compromised. Even if you have managed to regain control of your computer – whether by your own means or by paying the scammer – it could still be infected with malware. Use your security software to run a virus check but if you have any doubts, contact your anti-virus software provider or a computer specialist.</li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">http://www.scamwatch.gov.au/</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">brought to you by <a href="http://www.gewa.com.au/" target="_blank">Green Energy WA</a> </span></div>
</div>
Green Energy WAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13986553046730159152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762659221363299270.post-74777685804256651642013-03-15T17:00:00.002+08:002013-03-15T17:00:28.548+08:00More bad electricity news <span style="color: #434650; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.2em; line-height: 1.5;">The Energy & Water Ombudsman NSW (EWON) saw a 43% increase in complaints in 2011-2012, closing 25,162 cases (up from 17,559 the previous year).</span><br />
<div style="border: 0px; color: #434650; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.2em; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0.8em; margin-top: 0.8em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
Released today, EWON’s Annual Report 2011-2012 shows that consumers, particularly energy consumers, are experiencing problems across all categories in larger numbers than ever before. Billing issues, in particular disputed high bills, affordability-related credit issues and customer service problems dominated, with significant rises also noted in marketing and account transfer complaints.</div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #434650; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.2em; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0.8em; margin-top: 0.8em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
The underlying issue of energy affordability is of great concern to EWON. “The circumstances of many customers who contacted us showed they were under real pressure,” said Clare Petre, Energy & Water Ombudsman NSW. “We found many cases where we could help a customer resolve a present, acute situation with their energy supplier – such as disconnection – but where there was clearly an underlying affordability problem that suggested the customer would have problems managing their bills in the future.”</div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #434650; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.2em; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0.8em; margin-top: 0.8em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
Rising levels of hardship were reflected in disconnection complaints for the period: EWON received 29% more complaints from customers facing disconnection and a worrying 34% more complaints from customers who had already been disconnected. “We were also very concerned to see growing numbers of customers affected by debt collection activity and credit default listing – often for small amounts well under $300,” added Ms Petre.</div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #434650; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.2em; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0.8em; margin-top: 0.8em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
As energy prices continue to increase, so too will the scale of affordability issues for consumers. EWON was aware that consumers across other states were likewise affected and called for a national discussion bringing together all key stakeholders to work towards national solutions. “We received strong support for a national discussion and we are continuing to pursue this proposal,” said Ms Petre.</div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #434650; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.2em; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0.8em; margin-top: 0.8em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
Increased marketing activity by energy retailers combined with growing price sensitivity, which motivated consumers to shop around, also had an impact on complaints to EWON. There was a 71% increase in marketing complaints in the year (2070 cases) and an 86% rise in complaints relating to account transfers (4903 cases). EWON is continuing to receive customer reports about pressured and misleading energy marketing, as well as marketing to vulnerable consumers where informed consent is an issue.</div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #434650; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.2em; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0.8em; margin-top: 0.8em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
These complaint growth trends are forecast to continue through 2012-2013. Looking ahead, Ms Petre said, “it is incumbent upon energy and water providers to invest in systems and resources to ensure they have the capability to respond to any increases in contacts from their customers.”</div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #434650; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.2em; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0.8em; margin-top: 0.8em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
A Green Energy WA Manger agrees, it is likely bad news for the whole country. "Rises like these are never restricted to one state alone and we expected the rise to effect every state. Again the value of solar power is pushed to the forefront. The escalating bills are really effecting the older generation, its them we need to protect"</div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #434650; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.2em; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0.8em; margin-top: 0.8em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
Get your free quote now from <a href="http://www.gewa.com.au/" target="_blank">Green Energy WA</a> </div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #434650; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.2em; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0.8em; margin-top: 0.8em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #434650; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.2em; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0.8em; margin-top: 0.8em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #434650; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.2em; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0.8em; margin-top: 0.8em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
Green Energy WAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13986553046730159152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762659221363299270.post-6973808033975125952013-02-26T16:17:00.005+08:002013-02-26T16:17:54.961+08:00Solar gains more ground as Gas price hike close<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none;">Great news for Australia as Gas market booms, or is it?</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none;">Santos Chief, David Knox recently revealed, the current gas deals of $3-$4 a gigajoule were being replaced with deals at the higher end of $6-$9!</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none;">Its easy to see gas prices are about to explode as the uncertainties of market supply take their toll.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none;">There has never been a better time to move on your solar clean energy investment - Call the experts, Green Energy WA today and talk through your options.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none;">Green Energy WA Number One for SOlar Hot Water and Solar Energy options.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none;">www.gewa.com.au</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none;"><br /></span></span>Green Energy WAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13986553046730159152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762659221363299270.post-74031475092948788972013-01-25T11:16:00.000+08:002013-01-25T11:16:12.177+08:00Obama opens door for renewable energy push in US<br />
<h2 class="article-intro" itemprop="description" style="color: #01405f; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
In his inaugural speech for his second term in office, U.S. President Barack Obama has upped the ante, promising to show global leadership on climate change and support the development of clean energy...</h2>
<div class="article-content" itemprop="articleBody" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<div style="line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
In his speech, Obama said he would double the production of alternative energy in the next three years. He added that his administration would focus on efficiency as a way to reduce energy demand, by modernising more than 75 percent of federal buildings and improving the energy efficiency of 2 million American homes.</div>
<div style="line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
It was the most Obama had said on climate change for some time, and it was a stronger affirmation of the science underlying climate change than Obama has offered on other occasions: "Some may still deny the overwhelming judgment of science, but none can avoid the devastating impact of raging fires and crippling drought and more powerful storms," Obama said.</div>
<div style="line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
On renewable energy, Obama spoke with an almost religous zeal: "The path towards sustainable energy sources will be long and sometimes difficult. But America cannot resist this transition; we must lead it. We cannot cede to other nations the technology that will power new jobs and new industries - we must claim its promise. That is how we will maintain our economic vitality and our national treasure - our forests and waterways; our croplands and snowcapped peaks".</div>
<h4 style="color: #01405f; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1em; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
Reaction</h4>
<div style="line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
Not surprisingly, the speech has been widely heralded by clean energy groups: The <a href="http://www.sierraclub.org/" style="color: #01405f; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Sierra Club</a> commended Obama “for his vision of an economic recovery plan that recognises the vital role of clean energy.”</div>
<div style="line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
http://www.renewableenergyfocus.com/view/30393/obama-opens-door-for-renewable-energy-push-in-us/</div>
</div>
Green Energy WAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13986553046730159152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762659221363299270.post-26785052859802927722013-01-24T17:01:00.000+08:002013-01-24T17:01:10.776+08:00Solar companies to sue UK government <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"></span><br />
<div style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
Solar companies are planning to sue the government for £140m in damages, because of <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/oct/28/solar-subsidies-cut-half" style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; color: #005689; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="">the cuts to subsidies in 2011</a> that were subsequently ruled "legally flawed" in the high court.</div>
<div style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
The 17 companies said the way in which the changes to the feed-in tariff were handled was disastrous for their businesses, because it led to a<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/sep/21/drop-uk-homes-solar-panels" style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; color: #005689; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="">sudden and dramatic fall</a> in the number of people installing solar panels, and companies had to lay off thousands of workers.</div>
<div style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
It is the latest stage of a long-running legal battle that has taken the solar industry to the high court, the court of appeals and supreme court, arguing successfully each time that the government was at fault in announcing a cut in the feed-in tariff before it was legally allowed to.</div>
<div style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
The cuts, and the impression they gave of a policy that could change at very little notice, put off potential customers. Prior to the cuts announcement, the solar panel industry had been enjoying a boom in the UK, with more than 100,000 new installations before the changes were announced in October 2011. But the number of new installations dropped by <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/may/01/solar-panel-demand-subsidy-cut" style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; color: #005689; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="">90% in the wake</a> of the government's sudden changes.</div>
<div style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
Before the cuts, householders were paid for their solar generation at 43.3p per kWh of electricity generated, but in October 2011 the government said this would be cut to 21p, reducing returns from about 7% to 4%. Under the original plans, the lower rate would have applied to installations from 12 December that year, but the courts subsequently forced the government to honour the original tariff for anyone installing before 3 March, 2012 because the amount of notice given was too short.</div>
<div style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
The government <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/feb/08/ministers-defend-solar-power-subsidy-cut?INTCMP=SRCH" style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; color: #005689; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="">said the changes were necessary</a> as the cost of solar panels had come down since the original tariff was introduced, with the result that households were making excessive returns. The cost of the feed-in tariff is met through additions to <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/energy" style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; color: #005689; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="More from guardian.co.uk on Energy">energy</a> bills, and ministers wanted to cap this at £860m, while the runaway rate of installation in 2011 threatened to cost far more. Many in the industry accepted that the tariff should be cut, but were angered by the government's failure to give enough notice.</div>
<div style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
As the feed-in tariff regime has now been amended and the government promises it will remain stable, the number of installations is rising again, but solar companies say they suffered a year of <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/sustainable-business/green-deal-renewable-energy?INTCMP=SRCH" style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; color: #005689; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="">damaging uncertainty</a>that <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/jul/23/solar-panel-installations" style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; color: #005689; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="">hurt sales</a> and led to an estimated 6,000 job losses in what had been a bright and growing niche sector of the economy.</div>
<div style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
Simon Gillett, chief executive of E-tricity, one of the 17 claimants, said: "The good news is that solar is now once again a sound investment. The feed-in tariff is secure, solar prices are falling and both the government and public now want solar to play a big role in our energy mix. ut the industry was treated very badly, and companies must be healthy and ready to work to meet demand."</div>
<div style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
He called 2012 an "annus horribilis" and said his company had cut a third of its workforce. "We are calling for compensation after this illegal action to help us get up to speed again and help secure the clean and affordable energy supply we need."</div>
<div style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
The claim is being led by Prospect Law, and has increased from <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/jul/13/solar-damages-feed-in-tariff-cuts" style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; color: #005689; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="">an original £2.2m claim from three companies last July</a>.</div>
<div style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
There are currently about 370,000 homes and companies with solar panels in the UK, according to industry estimates, and the solar industry employs more than 25,000 people.</div>
<div style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
Link to story brought to you by <a href="http://gewa.com.au/" target="_blank">Green Energy WA</a> <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/jan/23/solar-companies-feed-in-tariff-cuts" target="_blank">Here</a>. </div>
<div style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<br /></div>
Green Energy WAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13986553046730159152noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762659221363299270.post-44828088199625399862012-11-30T11:56:00.000+08:002012-11-30T11:56:09.515+08:00Did you know<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #616366; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"></span><br />
<h4 style="font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
Paper</h4>
<ul style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<li style="line-height: 1.4em; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: inside; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Paper makes up to 70 per cent of office waste.</li>
</ul>
<h4 style="font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
Landfill Waste & Recycling</h4>
<ul style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<li style="line-height: 1.4em; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: inside; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">We produce and use about 7 trillion plastic bags per year (these bags last anything form 20 to 1,000 years).</li>
<li style="line-height: 1.4em; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: inside; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The Styrofoam cups used every year would circle the planet at least five times, they are not biodegradable and are rarely recycled.</li>
<li style="line-height: 1.4em; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: inside; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Recycling an aluminium can uses only 5% of the energy required to make a new one. Recycling glass uses 26% of the energy. Every tonne of paper recycled saves almost 13 trees, 4,100 kilowatts of electricity and more than 30,000 litres of water.</li>
<li style="line-height: 1.4em; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: inside; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Daily worldwide sales figures of biros exceed 14 million: A plastic pen in landfill will still be there in 50,000 years.</li>
</ul>
<h4 style="font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
Cigarettes</h4>
<ul style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<li style="line-height: 1.4em; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: inside; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Contain some 3,900 chemicals (many of which are dangerous to humans and living organisms). Filters are designed to trap some of the more dangerous by-products making the butt a poisonous pellet.</li>
<li style="line-height: 1.4em; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: inside; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Butts take 15 years to break down in our climate. Most butts are washed into stormwater drains and end up in the ocean.</li>
<li style="line-height: 1.4em; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: inside; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">4.5 trillion butts are littered worldwide each year.</li>
</ul>
<h4 style="font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
Little Known Facts</h4>
<ul style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<li style="line-height: 1.4em; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: inside; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Standard plastic bags last for thousands of years in the environment</li>
<li style="line-height: 1.4em; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: inside; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Glass bottles can take one million years to biodegrade</li>
<li style="line-height: 1.4em; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: inside; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">A disposable nappy can take 300 million years to decompose naturally</li>
<li style="line-height: 1.4em; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: inside; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">A plastic bottle or ink cartridge can last indefinitely</li>
<li style="line-height: 1.4em; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: inside; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Mobile phones and iPods are made from metals that do not biodegrade at all</li>
</ul>
<h4 style="font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
Home and Office</h4>
<ul style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<li style="line-height: 1.4em; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: inside; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">An unplugged mobile phone charger wastes 95% of the energy used doing nothing.</li>
<li style="line-height: 1.4em; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: inside; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Leaving the lights on, combined with computers left on standby, can double a companys energy bill. Lights left on generate unnecessary heat, requiring the air-conditioner to work overtime, using even more electricity.</li>
<li style="line-height: 1.4em; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: inside; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">An ordinary incandescent bulb converts most of the energy into heat not light. An energy efficient bulb can use up to 80% less energy and lasts about 8 times longer. Although it costs about 10 times more than an ordinary $1 bulb it will save over $80 in electricity.</li>
</ul>
<div style="line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 1em; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0.5em;">
<em style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;"><strong style="font-style: normal; font-weight: bold;">"Developed countries represent 25% of the global population but use 80% of its resources and produce 75% of its waste."</strong></em></div>
<div style="line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 1em; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0.5em;">
<em style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;"><strong style="font-style: normal; font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.gewa.com.au/" target="_blank">GREEN ENERGY WA</a></strong></em></div>
<div style="line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 1em; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0.5em;">
<em style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;"><strong style="font-style: normal; font-weight: bold;">Story thanks to Green Biz Check</strong></em></div>
Green Energy WAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13986553046730159152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762659221363299270.post-16440515006117540112012-11-20T15:22:00.001+08:002012-11-20T15:22:36.613+08:00Australia concedes lead to South Africa in solar thermal technology<br />
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: tahoma, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 0px;">
It is ironic that in the same week that the ambitious $1.2 billion Solar Dawn solar thermal project in south-west Queensland should finally be <a href="http://reneweconomy.com.au/2012/arena-rejects-solar-dawn-funding-trims-large-scale-pv-applicants-24775" style="color: #0c4a80; text-decoration: none;" title="ARENA rejects Solar Dawn funding, trims large scale PV applicants">put to rest,</a> construction of two solar thermal projects – with storage – should begin in South Africa.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: tahoma, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 0px;">
The last chance for the Solar Dawn consortium led by French nuclear giant Areva for the construction of a 250MW solar thermal plant in Queensland, or even a scaled down version of it, was removed when the Australian Renewable Energy Agency rejected its funding proposal – after the federal government had done so under the previous Solar Flagships program.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: tahoma, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 0px;">
Meanwhile, in South Africa, the Spanish group Abengoa last week began construction of two solar thermal projects boasting a mixture of solar tower and parabolic trough technologies. The 50MW Khi Solar One and 100MW KaXu Solar One CSP (concentrating solar power, another name for solar thermal) projects will feature storage and dry cooling technologies, to reduce water demands.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: tahoma, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 0px;">
These are the sort of projects that should be pioneered and deployed in Australia. Instead, Australia’s obsession with grandiose schemes, its inflexible funding arrangements, and the lack of true support from state governments and major utilities, mean South Africa will lead and Australia will follow.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: tahoma, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 0px;">
The failure of the Solar Flagships program, or the inability of various projects to lock in power price arrangements is not a failure of technology, as many would like to portray it, but a failure of policy – where the hubris of government overwhelms sound technical advice from the industry. It was an idea dreamed up by the egos in the office of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, and the bureaucrats were never able to meet the impossible task of matching such grandiose dreams – of having the biggest, but not necessarily the best – with sound policies. The coup-de-grace was delivered by Queensland Premier Campbell Newman in a similarly grand-standing gesture.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: tahoma, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 0px;">
Greg Bourne, the chairman of the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, is now tasked with addressing that policy shortfall, but at least he has more realistic goals. And certainly there is no room for sentiment. Effectively, the first act of Ivor Frischknecht, the CEO of ARENA, has been to reject a project featuring the technology in which he was once an investor, in his role at Starfish Ventures, which was an investor in Ausra, which developed the compact linear reflector technology that Solar Dawn was proposing to use.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: tahoma, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 0px;">
Given the funds at his disposal, and his timeframe, Bourne and Frischknecht have indicated that he will be focusing on regional and remote regions, and looking at hybrid solutions in areas where fossil fuel is already expensive.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: tahoma, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 0px;">
The one opportunity that Australia now has for a solar thermal project in the short term may well be in Port August, where Alinta has held some discussions with ARENA, for a possible replacement of its coal-fired power stations there. What they may propose, however, is a hybrid systems no dissimilar to the solar booster that is currently being built in Queensland by Areva.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: tahoma, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 0px;">
But the importance of solar thermal should not be underestimated. Even the Energy White Paper, a conservative document prepared by the Federal Energy ministry and released last week, said 16 per cent of Australia’s electricity demand could be sourced from solar thermal by 2050. That could make Australia a leader in solar thermal, but for the moment it trails.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: tahoma, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 0px;">
That, however, was built around a rather conservative estimate of CSP costs. The Energy White Paper estimates CSP estimates costs of $322-$399/MWh. This compares to $280/MWh in the South African case, and estimates of around $250/MWh by Australia’s solar industry.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: tahoma, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 0px;">
South Africa is succeeding with stand alone systems because it has introduced a market-focused system that has successfully attracted many of the world’s largest solar and other alternative energy developers, through an auction-based system that has attracted more than $5 billion of projects in its first two auctions.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: tahoma, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 0px;">
The ACT is the only state or territory government that has pursued a similar strategy, albeit at a much smaller scale. It has so far had one round of bidding that should see a 20MW solar PV project being built near Canberra by the end of 2013.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: tahoma, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 0px;">
In South Africa, the Khi Solar One and KaXu Solar One projects both have power purchase agreements with the state-owned power utility Eskom in place, and financing with a range of South African and international financial institutions.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: tahoma, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 0px;">
Abengoa says the dry cooling technologies will reduce water consumption by around two thirds compared to other CSP plants, while Khi Solar One will have two hours storage, and Kaxu will have three hours storage to provide greater flexibility and the ability to dispatch power to meet demand after sunset.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: tahoma, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 0px;">
The tragedy is that those projects could, and should, have been built first in Australia. But Australia was too obsessed with projects of a grandiose nature that it lost the opportunity.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: tahoma, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: tahoma, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 0px;">
<a href="http://reneweconomy.com.au/2012/australia-concedes-lead-in-solar-thermal-technology-to-south-africa-91812" target="_blank">source.... </a></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: tahoma, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: tahoma, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 0px;">
<br /></div>
Green Energy WAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13986553046730159152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762659221363299270.post-64342004088583365712012-11-19T12:40:00.000+08:002012-11-19T12:40:06.508+08:00Solar Goal Posts Moved Again - Panic Rush About To Start<br />
<div align="center" class="ContactName" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: bold; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6pt; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="center" class="ContactName" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: bold; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="ContactName" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: bold; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">THE HON GREG COMBET AM MP<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="ContactName" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: bold; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="ContactName" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: bold; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Minister for Industry and Innovation<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="ContactName" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: bold; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="ContactName" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: bold; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">MEDIA RELEASE<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="ContactName" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: bold; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Helvetica; width: 100%px;"><tbody>
<tr style="page-break-inside: avoid;"><td style="padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 5.4pt; padding-right: 5.4pt; padding-top: 0cm; width: 726px;" valign="top" width="49%"><div class="SinglePara" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">GC 307/12<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 5.4pt; padding-right: 5.4pt; padding-top: 0cm; width: 748px;" valign="top" width="50%"><div align="right" class="SinglePara" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">16 November 2012<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div align="center" class="Subject" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman Bold'; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: bold; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="Subject" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman Bold'; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: bold; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">SOLAR CREDITS PHASE OUT TO MODERATE PRICE IMPACT<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Due to continued strong demand for household solar, the Federal Government will phase out the Solar Credits mechanism six months ahead of schedule on 1 January 2013. This will lower the impact of the high uptake of solar PV on electricity costs for homes and businesses.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Phasing out the multiplier early will strike the appropriate balance between easing upward pressure on electricity prices and supporting households and suppliers who install solar PV. The overall reduction in electricity bills is estimated to be in the order of $80 to $100 million in 2013.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Installation of small-scale systems and solar hot water heaters continues to be supported under the Renewable Energy Target scheme, with solar PV systems benefiting from generous arrangements that provide support for 15 years worth of generation upfront.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">The Solar Credits mechanism has provided additional support for installations of small-scale solar PV by multiplying the number of certificates these systems would usually create under the RET scheme. As this benefit was never available to solar hot water heaters, the phase out puts solar PV and solar water heaters back onto a level playing field.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">The multiplier was always designed to reduce over time. Bringing forward the phase-out of the multiplier to 1 January 2013 will help place the industry on a sustainable path and ease pressure on electricity prices. By 2014 the small-scale scheme is expected to cost electricity consumers around 70 per cent less than in 2012.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">The carbon price improves the economics of household solar and this change will enhance the complementarity of the RET support with the incentive the carbon price provides. States and Territories are also examining the complementarity of their climate change policies in light of principles agreed by COAG in 2008.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Consistent with a previous reduction in the multiplier announced in May 2011, legally binding contracts to install supported systems, already entered into before today and made on the basis of the current rules, will be preserved. The same applies to systems installed before 1 January 2013. See <a href="http://www.climatechange.gov.au/" style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline;">www.climatechange.gov.au</a>.<span class="MsoHyperlink" style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline;"></span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="ContactName" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: bold; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Media contact: Mark Davis, Gia Hayne 02 6277 7920</span></div>
<div class="ContactName" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: bold; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="ContactName" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: bold; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">If you need clarification as to how these new rules apply to your solar decisions call Green Energy WA today - 1300 882 551 or visit www.gewa.com.au</span></div>
<div class="ContactName" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: bold; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="ContactName" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: bold; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="ContactName" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: bold; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
Green Energy WAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13986553046730159152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762659221363299270.post-50950355899194627162012-10-22T10:45:00.001+08:002012-10-22T10:45:41.023+08:00Consumer-oriented Electricity Market?<br />
<div style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
A draft report by the Productivity Commission, <cite style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Electricity Network Regulation Frameworks</cite>, has found that regulation and ownership arrangements for electricity networks require overhaul.</div>
<div style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
The costs of electricity networks — the wires and poles criss-crossing Eastern Australia — now represent as much as one-half of people's average power bills. Network cost rises are responsible for much of the surge in electricity prices over the last five years.</div>
<div style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
Philip Weickhardt, the Presiding Commissioner for the inquiry, said: 'The current regulatory regime is undermining the capacity of network business managers to run their businesses efficiently, and puts up barriers to consumer involvement. There is no quick fix, but our proposed reforms can deliver a more efficient system and potentially save billions of dollars.'</div>
<div style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
The report says that a few periods of peak demand — mostly during hot spells in summer — require huge amounts of infrastructure. The Commission recommends the phased introduction of more cost-based pricing, combined with smart technologies. It says this would cut network costs and end the large hidden subsidies, often from lower income households, to people who use a lot of power at peak times.</div>
<div style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
The Commission also recommends the creation of a new industry-funded consumer body, with enough expertise to contribute to regulatory determinations and merit reviews. It also proposes a national, consumer-focused, approach to reliability standards. These can vary without reason across states, and sometimes require costly investments to achieve a much higher level of reliability thanconsumers would otherwise choose.</div>
<div style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
The report also recommends that all state-owned network businesses be privatised (but remain strongly regulated). It finds that this would improve efficiency and avoid the conflicting mix of state government influences on their corporations.</div>
<div style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
The Commission finds that over the shorter run, there is limited scope to use regulatory benchmarking, which rewards businesses based on their relative efficiency. It notes that fixing the flaws of the regulatory framework would in any case be a prerequisite to its meaningful use.</div>
<div style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
The Commission is seeking public feedback on its draft proposals. Its final report will be delivered to Government in April 2013.</div>
<h3 style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
Background information</h3>
<div style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
Ralph Lattimore, Assistant Commissioner 02 6240 3242</div>
<h3 style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
Requests for comment/other</h3>
<div style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
Clair Angel, Media & Publications 02 6240 3239 / 0417 665 443</div>
<div style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
As seen at http://www.pc.gov.au/projects/inquiry/electricity/draft/media-release</div>
<div style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<br /></div>
Green Energy WAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13986553046730159152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762659221363299270.post-51266605335130409152012-10-18T12:48:00.003+08:002012-10-18T12:52:35.104+08:00Solar in Governments Hands<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">The Australian government in July started charging polluters for the carbon they emit to reduce the nation’s reliance on fossil fuels and encourage wind and solar power. The country also plans to invest $10 billion in Clean Energy Finance Corp. to help the industry.<br /><br />“First Solar has labeled Australia as one of the more prospective markets globally, and we would agree with that,” said Tim Buckley, managing director at Sydney-based Arkx Investment Management, which owns shares in the US panel manufacturer. “But progress to date has been limited,” partly because of uncertainty about government energy policy.<br /><br />While Australia has the highest average solar radiation per square meter of any continent, according to the government, some projects picked to receive solar grants, including a venture led by Areva SA in the state of Queensland, have failed to meet financing deadlines and sign power-supply agreements.<br /><br />“If you can’t create a sustainable solar market in Australia, it’s difficult to see how you can create one in other markets without strong government intervention,” Curtis said.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><span style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><span style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Solar News from <a href="http://www.gewa.com.au/" target="_blank">Green Energy WA</a> </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><span style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /><br />Read more: <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/business/carbon-economy/australia-four-years-behind-us-solar-giant-says-20121016-27pi5.html#ixzz29cgCe4LS" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #003399; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.smh.com.au/business/carbon-economy/australia-four-years-behind-us-solar-giant-says-20121016-27pi5.html#ixzz29cgCe4LS</a></span></span>Green Energy WAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13986553046730159152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762659221363299270.post-43414802963063617072012-10-17T20:36:00.000+08:002012-10-17T20:36:05.776+08:00Did you know?<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">Our mother Earth receives more energy from the sun in an hour than is used in the entire world in one year. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">Did you know Leonardo da Vinci predicted a solar industrialisation back in 1447 Makes you wonder knowing it is only in recent years that the world has turned to solar power systems. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">Did you know that Shell Oil now predicts that 50% of the world's energy will come from renewable sources by 2040.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">Solar Energy from <a href="http://www.gewa.com.au/" target="_blank">Green Energy WA</a> - Truly the way forward </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">Visit us today - WA's No1 Solar Company </span>Green Energy WAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13986553046730159152noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762659221363299270.post-20457175314203389452012-10-15T12:09:00.001+08:002012-10-15T12:09:26.465+08:00Chinese Solar In Disarray <br />
<div class="articleBody" style="font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; margin-bottom: 1.7em; margin-top: 1.5em;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 24px;">BEIJING — China in recent years established global dominance in renewable energy, its solar panel and wind turbine factories forcing many foreign rivals out of business and its policy makers hailed by environmentalists around the world as visionaries.</span></div>
<div class="articleBody" style="font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; margin-bottom: 1.7em; margin-top: 1.5em;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 24px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"><div itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
But now China’s strategy is in disarray. Though worldwide demand for solar panels and<a class="meta-classifier" href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/w/wind_power/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier" style="color: #004276; text-decoration: underline;" title="More articles about wind power.">wind turbines</a> has grown rapidly over the last five years, China’s manufacturing capacity has soared even faster, creating enormous oversupply and a ferocious price war.</div>
<div itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
The result is a looming financial disaster, not only for manufacturers but for state-owned banks that financed factories with approximately $18 billion in low-rate loans and for municipal and provincial governments that provided loan guarantees and sold manufacturers valuable land at deeply discounted prices.</div>
<div itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
China’s biggest solar panel makers are suffering losses of up to $1 for every $3 of sales this year, as panel prices have fallen by three-fourths since 2008. Even though the cost of <a class="meta-classifier" href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/science/topics/solar_energy/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier" style="color: #004276; text-decoration: underline;" title="More articles about solar power.">solar power</a> has fallen, it still remains triple the price of <a class="meta-classifier" href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/c/coal/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier" style="color: #004276; text-decoration: underline;" title="More articles about coal.">coal</a>-generated power in China, requiring substantial subsidies through a tax imposed on industrial users of electricity to cover the higher cost of renewable energy.</div>
</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"><div itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
The outcome has left even the architects of China’s renewable energy strategy feeling frustrated and eager to see many businesses shut down, so the most efficient companies may be salvageable financially.</div>
<div itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
In the solar panel sector, “If one-third of them survive, that’s good, and two-thirds of them die, but we don’t know how that happens,” said Li Junfeng, a longtime director general for energy and climate policy at the National Development and Reform Commission, the country’s top economic planning agency.</div>
<div itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
Mr. Li said in an interview that he wanted banks to cut off loans to all but the strongest solar panel companies and let the rest go bankrupt. But banks — which were encouraged by Beijing to make the loans — are not eager to acknowledge that the loans are bad and take large write-offs, preferring to lend more money to allow the repayment of previous loans. Many local and provincial governments also are determined to keep their hometown favorites afloat to avoid job losses and to avoid making payments on loan guarantees, he said.</div>
<div itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
Mr. Li’s worries appear to be broadly shared in Beijing. “For the leading companies in the sector, if they’re not careful, the whole sector will disappear,” said Chen Huiqing, the deputy director for solar products at the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products.</div>
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"><div class="columnGroup first" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 7px; width: auto !important;">
<div class="articleBody" style="margin-bottom: 1.7em; margin-top: 1.5em;">
<div itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
The Chinese government also wants to see the country’s more than 20 wind turbine manufacturers, many of which are losing money, consolidate to five or six. “Wind does not need so many manufacturers,” said Mr. Li, who in addition to drafting renewable energy policies is the president of the Chinese Renewable Energy Industries Association.</div>
<div itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
Chinese solar company executives blame their difficulties partly on the United States’s decisions last spring to impose antidumping and anti-subsidy tariffs on solar panel imports, and on the European Union’s recent decision to start its own antidumping investigation of imports from China.</div>
<div itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
“It is not a Chinese industry problem, it is a global solar industry problem,” said Rory Macpherson, a spokesman for Suntech Power, one of the largest Chinese solar panel manufacturers. “It is primarily the result of an imbalance between supply and demand, and the U.S. and E.U. trade investigations.”</div>
<div itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
Mr. Li said the solar industry’s problems were the result of overcapacity in China, and not the fault of trade restrictions.</div>
<div itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
Yet he insisted that if the Chinese government could turn back the clock and revisit past renewable energy decisions, it would not do anything differently.</div>
<div itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
The problem lies in the eagerness of Chinese businesses to rush into any new industry that looks attractive and swamp it with investments, he said. Chinese companies and their bankers are then far more reluctant than Western companies to admit defeat for investments that prove unprofitable.</div>
<div itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
Mr. Li added that banking regulators had not yet decided what to do about banks’ exposure to the solar sector. The central government tried without success to learn from local and provincial government agencies how much of the solar industry’s bank debt they have guaranteed, Mr. Li said.</div>
<div itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
Chinese solar power companies are making some cutbacks. Suntech, based in Wuxi, is temporarily closing a quarter of its solar cell capacity. It will transfer a majority of the 1,500 affected workers to other operations and provide severance payments to the rest.</div>
<div itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
Jiangsu province, where Suntech has its headquarters and most of its factories, issued an unusual appeal to state-owned banks several weeks ago to continue lending money to the company, a step that Mr. Li criticized as inappropriate. Mr. Macpherson of Suntech wrote in an e-mail that the Jiangsu government had not guaranteed any of the company’s debt, which totaled $2.26 billion at the end of the first quarter, including some convertible bonds in addition to bank loans. Trina Solar, one of its biggest rivals, also has said it will “streamline its operations” and shrink its work force, but did not provide details.</div>
<div itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
Trina shares have dropped 85 percent in the last three years and Suntech shares have fallen more than 98 percent in the last five years. Both trade on the New York Stock Exchange.</div>
<div itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
The modest cutbacks in production barely put a dent in China’s overcapacity problem. GTM Research, a renewable energy consulting firm in Boston, estimates that Chinese companies have the ability to manufacture 50 gigawatts of solar panels this year, while the Chinese domestic market is on track to absorb only 4 to 5 gigawatts. Exports will take another 18 or 19 gigawatts.</div>
<div itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
The enormously expensive equipment in solar panel factories needs to be run around the clock, seven days a week, to cover costs.</div>
<div itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
“You want to be up at 80 percent, so they’re half of what they need,” said Shayle Kann, the head of GTM Research, which is a unit of Greentech Media.</div>
<div itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
Chinese companies have struggled even though a dozen solar companies in the United States and another dozen in Europe have gone bankrupt or closed factories since the start of last year. The bankruptcies and closures have done little to ease the global glut and price war because China by itself represents more than two-thirds of the world’s capacity.</div>
<div itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
To reduce capacity, foreign rivals have clamored for China to subsidize the purchase of more solar panels at home, instead of having Chinese companies rely so heavily on exports. But the government here is worried about the cost of doing so, because the price of solar power remains far higher than for coal-generated power.</div>
<div itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
The average cost of electricity from solar panels in China works out to 19 cents per kilowatt-hour, said Mr. Li. That is three times the cost of coal-fired power. But it is a marked improvement from 63 cents per kilowatt-hour for solar power four years ago.</div>
<div itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
China’s official goal is to install 10 gigawatts of solar panels a year by 2015, using 20-year contracts to guarantee payment for electricity purchased from them. If costs stay where they are now, the subsidies would be $50 billion over 20 years for every 10 gigawatts of solar power installed, based on figures supplied by Mr. Li.</div>
<div itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
Even if solar power costs fall by a third, as the government hopes, he said, “it’s big money.”</div>
<h4>
Global view by <a href="http://www.gewa.com.au/" target="_blank">Green Energy WA</a><br />Fully Story <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/05/business/global/glut-of-solar-panels-is-a-new-test-for-china.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all" target="_blank">NYTIMES</a> </h4>
<div style="color: black; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<nyt_correction_bottom></nyt_correction_bottom></div>
<div class="articleCorrection" style="margin-bottom: 2.8em;">
</div>
<nyt_update_bottom></nyt_update_bottom></div>
</div>
<div class="columnGroup " style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 7px; width: auto !important;">
<div class="articleFooter" style="margin-bottom: 16px;">
<div class="articleMeta">
<div class="opposingFloatControl wrap" style="display: block;">
<div class="element1" style="float: left;">
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</span></div>
<div class="articleBody" style="font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; margin-bottom: 1.7em; margin-top: 1.5em;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 24px;"><br /></span></div>
Green Energy WAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13986553046730159152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762659221363299270.post-41035797712794126712012-09-24T11:28:00.001+08:002012-09-24T11:28:25.453+08:00BREE forecasts $189 billion and then some<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #555555; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 18px;"></span><br />
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
The Bureau of Resources and Energy Economics (BREE) has published its quarterly forecasting of the country’s resources and energy commodity export earnings for the 2012-13 year, which are now tipped to be in excess of $189 billion.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
The Resources and Energy Quarterly September Quarter report shows increases across the majority of major minerals and energy commodities, with the largest increases in volumes projected for LNG (21 per cent), thermal coal (14 per cent) and metallurgical coal (12 per cent).</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
"The latest forecasts of volumes and prices show two distinct trends. First, the prices of many resources have moderated from historic highs in 2011 and further declines are expected over the medium term in US$ terms relative to these peaks. Second, Australian export volumes, especially in terms of bulk commodities, are growing rapidly and are expected to do so for several years to come" said Professor Quentin Grafton, BREE's Executive Director and Chief Economist.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
Growth in exports volumes of iron ore are also forecast to remain robust, increasing by 8 per cent to over 500 million tonnes in 2012–13.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
According to the report, the robust growth in LNG exports in the coming year reflects the start up of major projects, such as the Pluto LNG project, which will increase the country’s LNG capacity from around 20 million tonnes to over 24 million tonnes.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
"This forecast, as emphasised in the macroeconomic outlook, is based on assumed improvements in world, OECD and Chinese economic growth in 2013 and the assumption that the Australian dollar will remain close to parity with the US dollar in 2013" said Professor Grafton.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
The full report can be found <a href="http://www.bree.gov.au/publications/req.html" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #1268a1; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">here</a></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
Brought to you by... <a href="http://www.gewa.com.au/" target="_blank">Green Energy WA</a></div>
Green Energy WAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13986553046730159152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762659221363299270.post-3272830502237174382012-09-24T11:21:00.002+08:002012-09-24T11:21:20.695+08:00Energy market Reforms Argued<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #555555; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 18px;"></span><br />
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
The Clean Energy Council (CEC) has argued that energy market reform is crucial to keeping power prices down.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
In its submission to the Senate Select Committee on Electricity Prices, the CEC has argued that rules that underpin how the electricity industry delivers power to consumers do not reflect the need of consumers or the changing needs of the energy system.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
“Australia, along with many other developed countries, is experiencing significant electricity price increases, with very real consequences for vulnerable households and businesses,” said CEC Chief Executive David Green.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
“It’s great news that the cost of moving to a more equitable and cleaner future for Australia is set to fall to less than 4 per cent of bills by 2020. Getting the framework right to ensure network costs do not reach the forecast 55 per cent of an Australian household energy bill is now essential,” said Mr Green.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
The CEC has also argued that the National Electricity Objective does not adequately represent the needs of electricity bill-payers, long-economic factors of the need for environmentally sustainable development.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
Reform of the National Electricity Objective will allow the long-term interests of consumers to have far greater weight with regulatory decision makers,” Mr Green said.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
“Now we need to get on with the job of making real changes to Australia’s energy market that will deliver actual benefits to consumers in the form of more money in their pockets.”</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
The CEC’s submission to the Senate Select Committee on Electricity Prices is available online at <a href="http://cleanenergycouncil.org.au/policyadvocacy/Submissions/current" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #1268a1; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">cleanenergycouncil.org.au/policyadvocacy/Submissions/current</a></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
Brought to you by.. <a href="http://www.gewa.com.au/" target="_blank">Green Energy WA</a></div>
Green Energy WAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13986553046730159152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762659221363299270.post-29992606924622735772012-09-17T11:28:00.000+08:002012-09-17T11:28:12.188+08:00WA In The News<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #555555; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 18px;"></span><br />
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
Scientists have for the first time identified a number of WA sites capable of producing large quantities of commercial biofuel from microalgae.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
They say the best sites for big-scale algal biofuel plants include stretches of land south of Geraldton, south-east of Exmouth and large areas near Karratha and Port Hedland.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
Professor Michael Borowitzka from Murdoch University’s Algae Research and Development Centre and Assistant Professor Bryan Boruff from the School of Earth and Environment at The University of Western Australia used Geographical Information Systems (GIS) technology to study more than 2250km of WA coastline from Lancelin to Broome and 170km inland.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
Their report, Identification of the Optimum Sites for Industrial-scale Microalgae Biofuel Production in WA using a GIS Model, was prepared for the WA Government-funded Centre for Research into Energy for Sustainable Transport (CREST) and is the first WA-wide study of its kind.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
Professor Borowitzka, a leading world authority on algal biofuel production, said WA had several key advantages for suitable sites: abundant sunshine, extensive land unsuitable for agriculture and plenty of water in the Indian Ocean.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
“But not all of WA is ideal for such plants, so we examined sites scientifically by assessing land suitability, access to infrastructure and workforce, carbon dioxide availability − along with nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus − and climate,” Professor Borowitzka said.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
Assistant Professor Boruff added: “Commercial success depends on economically viable, large-scale production, which is why this study is so important.”</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
Professor Borowitzka said more research and development was needed to find the most energy-efficient and economically feasible way to extract and convert algal biomass into renewable bioenergy.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
Limited world fossil fuel resources and an ever-increasing global demand for energy have prompted substantial interest in renewable biofuels. Professor Borowitzka has been at the forefront of research into producing biofuels from algae.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
Algal biofuels − especially liquid fuels produced from algae oils − are seen as an important component of a future clean biofuels mix, he said.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
Its fast growth rate and high oil content appears to make microalgae particularly well-suited to renewable biodiesel production and offers an attractive sustainable alternative source to other compounds such as carotenoids, polyunsaturated fatty acids and polysaccharides.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
WA already has the world’s biggest commercial microalgae production plant at Hutt Lagoon, north of Geraldton.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
US biofuel producer Aurora Algae and Australian biofuel start-up company Muradel Pty Ltd − a joint venture between Murdoch University, Adelaide Research and Innovation Pty Ltd and SQC Pty Ltd − have also built pilot plants in Karratha.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
http://www.energycareer.com.au/news/wa-sites-located-for-algae-to-biofuel-extraction</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
<br /></div>
Green Energy WAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13986553046730159152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762659221363299270.post-83734325312972959942012-09-17T11:22:00.002+08:002012-09-17T11:22:36.720+08:00Cheap Brands Under Fire<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #555555; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 18px;"></span><br />
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0.1pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0.1pt;">
A new national framework to set common standards and energy efficiency ratings on appliances, machinery and other materials will come into effect on 1 October, following the passage of legislation through Federal Parliament.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0.1pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0.1pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0.1pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0.1pt;">
The Greenhouse and Energy Minimum Standards (GEMS) legislation will deliver consistent information and energy standards to consumers by combining all state and territory regulations into one framework, overseen by a single national regulator. The same standards will be adopted in New Zealand.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0.1pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0.1pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0.1pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0.1pt;">
Mark Dreyfus, Parliamentary Secretary for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency said GEMS will provide a more comprehensive program covering gas, electricity and other types of energy, as well creating a legal basis to potentially cover products that can reduce energy consumption such as glazing for windows and insulation.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0.1pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0.1pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0.1pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0.1pt;">
“GEMS also ensures the worst performing appliances can't be sold in Australia," he said.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0.1pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0.1pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0.1pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0.1pt;">
The GEMS legislation has received support from industry associations, including the Australian Industry Group (AIG), Consumer Electronics Suppliers Association (CESA) and Airconditioning and Refrigeration Equipment Manufacturers Association of Australia (AREMA).</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0.1pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0.1pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0.1pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0.1pt;">
Further detail on GEMS is available at <a href="http://www.climatechange.gov.au/" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #1268a1; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">www.climatechange.gov.au</a></div>
Green Energy WAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13986553046730159152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762659221363299270.post-8798329397940308112012-09-10T11:35:00.000+08:002012-09-10T11:37:56.649+08:00NSW Renewable Energy Action Plan<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #555555; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 18px;"></span><br />
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
The NSW Government has released its draft Renewable Energy Action Plan for public comment.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
The draft Renewable Energy Action Plan outlines 28 actions to help NSW meet the Government’s target of 20% renewable energy by 2020, steer investment to NSW and build on the State’s expertise in renewable technology.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
The draft plan, prepared with assistance from the joint industry-government Renewable Energy Taskforce chaired by the NSW Chief Scientist and Engineer, Professor Mary O’Kane, sets out the opportunities and actions underway for each of the renewable energy technologies in NSW.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
It identifies wind energy as “one of the most commercially ready and cost effective technologies that can be deployed on a large-scale”, predicting that wind energy will deliver the bulk of new renewable generation up to 2020.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
The Plan also details new proposals to most efficiently grow renewable energy generation in NSW, with new actions that aim to:</div>
<ul style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 35px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 3px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 3px;">Attract renewable energy investment and projects</li>
<li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 3px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 3px;">Build community support for renewable energy</li>
<li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 3px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 3px;">Attract and grow expertise in renewable energy technology</li>
<li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 3px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 3px;">Contain costs for energy customers through increased energy efficiency.</li>
</ul>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
The plan is available <a href="http://haveyoursay.nsw.gov.au/renewableenergy?module=form" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #1268a1; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">here.</a> Comments are due by 26 October.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
Thanks to http://www.energycareer.com.au/ for this update</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">
From the <a href="http://www.gewa.com.au/" target="_blank">Green Energy WA Solar Energy Centre</a></div>
Green Energy WAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13986553046730159152noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762659221363299270.post-26574931589400764742012-09-06T17:39:00.000+08:002012-09-06T17:39:01.765+08:008MW deal for Canadian Solar<br />
<h2 class="article-intro" itemprop="description" style="color: #01405f; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
Canadian Solar has supplied more than 8MW of solar modules to groSolar for three utility and commercial photovoltaic projects in the United States.</h2>
<div class="article-content" itemprop="articleBody" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<div style="line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
All three projects use <a href="http://www.canadiansolar.com/" style="color: #01405f; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank"><span>Canadian Solar’s</span></a> CS6p module. The largest project is a 6MW plant currently under construction in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Once completed, it will be the largest solar installation in the state, supplying around 7.5mn kilowatt hours of energy annually under a 15-year power purchase agreement.</div>
<div style="line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
The two other <a href="http://www.grosolar.com/" style="color: #01405f; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank"><span>groSolar</span></a> projects have already been completed: a 1.8MW solar project at Camden County Municipal Utility Authority’s (CCMUA) wastewater treatment plant in Camden, New Jersey, and a 1.5MW installation at Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. groSolar serves the 1-20MW commercial and utility markets with complete EPC, financing, and development support.</div>
<div style="line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
Don't forget you can buy the latest from Canadian Solar At <a href="http://www.gewa.com.au/" target="_blank">Green Energy WA</a>. Your solar hot water and solar energy centre in Perth WA</div>
<div style="line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Green Energy WAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13986553046730159152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762659221363299270.post-58615043227899311522012-09-04T11:32:00.000+08:002012-09-04T11:33:34.951+08:00Who is Alex? The Solar Wave Glider<br />
<div style="color: #3e3e3e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 14.5px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">
Alex is one of about 100 Wave Gliders built so far by the company <a href="http://liquidr.com/" style="color: #509ac9; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="liquidr.com">Liquid Robotics</a>. Solar panels on the top of the Wave Glider provide renewable energy to power its data collection equipment, which includes a standard weather station as well as a thermistor chain for measuring below-surface water temperatures up to seven meters deep (thermistor refers to an electrical device for sensing temperature).</div>
<div style="color: #3e3e3e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 14.5px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">
Without the need for refueling or resupply, the Wave Glider can remain in continuous action for months at a time.</div>
<div style="color: #3e3e3e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 14.5px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">
Solar power is just one part of the secret to the Wave Glider’s mobility. Its platform basically consists of two parts connected in a type of hinge, which enables it to harvest the energy from ocean waves and convert it into forward thrust.</div>
<h2 style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 24px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 30px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">
Many Jobs for a Green Robot</h2>
<div style="color: #3e3e3e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 14.5px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">
Saving human life through more accurate storm and tsunami prediction is just part of the Wave Glider’s job. Earlier this month, CleanTechnica described the launch of <a href="http://cleantechnica.com/2012/08/17/solar-powered-wave-glider-latest-step-in-stanford-research-teams-effort-to-build-a-pacific-ocean-wi-fi-hotspot-network-for-biodiversity/" style="color: #509ac9; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="cleantechnica.com">Stanford University’s Wave Glider</a>, which will integrate with a network of stationary buoys to improve ocean health monitoring.</div>
<div style="color: #3e3e3e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 14.5px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">
Tracking fish populations, monitoring individual sea creatures and collecting data on unusual events such as algae and phytoplankton blooms are a few of the jobs under way for the Wave Glider.</div>
<div style="color: #3e3e3e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 14.5px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">
As for durability, Wave Gliders have already encountered and survived hurricane conditions during a Pacific Ocean crossing this summer, which Liquid Robotics is chronicling on its <a href="http://liquidr.com/pacx/" style="color: #509ac9; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="liquidr.com">PacX</a> blog, so weathering a bit of bluster from our friend Rush should be a piece of cake.</div>
<div style="color: #3e3e3e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 14.5px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #3e3e3e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 14.5px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-size: 12px;">Green Energy WA - No1 for Solar Energy WA, Solar Hot Water Perth WA, Solar News and Environmental Information <a href="http://www.gewa.com.au/" style="color: #125712; text-decoration: none;">www.gewa.com.au</a></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 24px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 24px;"><span id="curate-us-tag"><a href="http://s.tt/1lU0P" style="color: #509ac9; text-decoration: none;"><img height="11" src="http://1.rp-api.com/2806489/via.png" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; border-width: initial; max-width: 98%; padding-right: 3px; vertical-align: -12%;" width="12" />Clean Technica</a> (<a href="http://s.tt/1lU0P" style="color: #509ac9; text-decoration: none;">http://s.tt/1lU0P</a>)</span></span>Green Energy WAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13986553046730159152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762659221363299270.post-30720090136635934462012-09-04T11:24:00.002+08:002012-09-04T11:24:57.976+08:00Solar-Powered Robot Tracks Hurricane Isaac<br />
<div style="color: #3e3e3e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 14.5px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">
A solar-powered, wave-hopping robot named Alex was launched into the ocean by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) earlier this month to help improve hurricane tracking, and the boogie-board-sized craft has already had its first taste of action. It has been busily collecting ocean data on the fringes of Hurricane Isaac’s path north of Puerto Rico, and sooner or later this season it may find itself smack in the middle of a hurricane. As if that’s not a big enough job, Alex could also find itself in the crosshairs of <a href="http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattlepolitics/2012/08/23/rush-limbaugh-blames-obama-for-hurricane-warnings/" style="color: #509ac9; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="seattlepi.com">Rush Limbaugh’s next rant about “weather dolts”</a> at NOAA’s <a href="http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/" style="color: #509ac9; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="noaa.gov">National Hurricane Center</a>.</div>
<div style="color: #3e3e3e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 14.5px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #3e3e3e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 14.5px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">
<a href="http://cleantechnica.com/2012/08/28/solar-powered-wave-glider-from-liquid-robotics-tracks-isaac/solar-powered-wave-robot/" rel="attachment wp-att-41784" style="color: #509ac9; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="Wave Glider solar powered robot" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-41784" height="375" src="http://c1cleantechnicacom.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/files/2012/08/solar-powered-wave-robot.jpg" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; display: block; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 5px; max-width: 98%; text-align: center;" width="500" /></a></div>
<h2 style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 24px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 30px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></h2>
<h2 style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 24px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 30px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">
Mobile Robots Improve Hurricane Tracking</h2>
<div style="color: #3e3e3e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 14.5px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">
According to a recent article by Tekla Perry for <a href="http://www.ieee.org/about/index.html" style="color: #509ac9; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="ieee.org">IEEE</a>, one key goal is to gain a better understanding of the factors that propel a tropical storm into hurricane status, and from one category of intensity to another.</div>
<div style="color: #3e3e3e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 14.5px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">
Water temperature plays a critical role in this progression, but data from satellites, manned ships, airplanes, and moored buoys are providing an incomplete picture. Alex is able to measure ocean temperatures below the surface, and as a simply designed and unmanned craft, it can brave conditions that would be far too risky for a human or a more complicated device.</div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 24px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 24px;"><span id="curate-us-tag"><a href="http://s.tt/1lU0P" style="color: #509ac9; text-decoration: none;"><img height="11" src="http://1.rp-api.com/2806489/via.png" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; border-width: initial; max-width: 98%; padding-right: 3px; vertical-align: -12%;" width="12" />Clean Technica</a> (<a href="http://s.tt/1lU0P" style="color: #509ac9; text-decoration: none;">http://s.tt/1lU0P</a>)</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 24px;"><span id="curate-us-tag"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 24px;"><span id="curate-us-tag">Green Energy WA - No1 for Solar Energy WA, Solar Hot Water Perth WA, Solar News and Environmental Information <a href="http://www.gewa.com.au/">www.gewa.com.au</a></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 24px;"><span id="curate-us-tag"><br /></span></span>Green Energy WAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13986553046730159152noreply@blogger.com2