Highlights

Australia’s solar uptake is now forecast to reach 8.9 GW by 2025, on top of the 14 GW already installed, according to the Australian Electricity Market Operator.

For the first time in the history of our national energy market, solar generated more electricity than coal, providing 41.4% of the national market on Sunday, while coal accounted for 41.2%.

The comparison of two solar cladded roofs in Sydney, one bare beneath its panels and the other adorned with native grasses and plants, has found the panels on the green roof were, on average, 3.63% more efficient, producing an average daily output 13% greater than the conventional roof. The improvements are believed to stem from the lower temperatures on the green roof, thanks to its plants – which also provided a plethora of additional benefits.

China’s efforts to shift electricity generation from a coal-dominated system to a greener mix of renewables is not only centred on wind, solar and other technologies – the country is also rapidly pursuing energy storage. Vincent Shaw reports from Shanghai.

Solar as a solution to poverty – it’s the route Brisbane-based charity SolarBuddy is taking, bringing Australian school children with it. Crucially though, the charity’s founder Simon Doble told pv magazine Australia it’s also a unique opportunity to learn about the rollout of clean technologies unencumbered.

Solar’s share in the installed 100 GW renewable energy capacity stands at around 44%, and wind at 40% as per the data available from India’s Central Electricity Authority.

One of the country’s most electricity-intensive smelters plans to switch to renewable energy, a move which would drastically reduce its footprint and will send a clear message to generators that even if the federal government continues to support coal, Australia doesn’t.

Larry Marshall, Chief Executive of the CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, told Australia’s Hydrogen Conference that he was “highly optimistic” about Australia’s future, saying the country is currently at the “forefront” of hydrogen – a position not often held by our island state and one we must “dig our teeth into.”

Evidence of Australia’s energy transition and the force with which renewables are pushing fossil fuel generators out of the mix are now glaring, with a raft of new reports highlighting different records and trends testament to the seismic shift.

Tindo Solar, Australia’s only solar panel manufacturer, has teamed up with a group of engineering students from the Australian National University to help them construct a solar race car.