Smart meters allow excess midday solar energy to be soaked up locally in ‘innovative’ NSW program
A new program has launched on the New South Wales south coast enabling solar generated on residential rooftops to be consumed locally by hot water systems through smart meters alone, helping manage the growing problem of variable electricity in the grid without requiring new infrastructure.
Victoria bans door-to-door sales for solar companies, introduces $1 million fine for wrongful disconnections
Victoria’s state government has introduced new rules for solar businesses and energy retailers banning on door-to-door sales of products and announcing penalties of up to $1 million for retailers that wrongfully disconnect the electricity of vulnerable Victorians.
Stop removing your solar panels early, please. It’s creating a huge waste problem for Australia
Charles Darwin University’s Deepika Mathur, and Imran Muhammad of Massey University in New Zealand reveal surprising results from their study into why Australians are retiring solar panels before their time, and what it means for our material footprint and the environment.
Water-free, portable cleaning bot for rooftop solar
India’s Aegeus Technologies has developed an autonomous, water-free cleaning bot for rooftop solar installations. The bot weighs 5 kg (with battery) and can be operated remotely through a web-based app. It uses an air wash technology to clean the panels, ensuring no need for water or any harmful chemicals.
Tool offers insight into how solar and wind impact wholesale electric prices
U.S. Department of Energy’s Berkeley Lab has devised a tool to allow users to compare pricing trends across locations, regions, and timeframes, down to the nodal level.
$11 million ARENA/Alcoa project to demonstrate efficient green alumina processing
ARENA and green-thumb Angus Taylor have launched a project to demonstrate that renewable energy can be cost competitive compared to fossil-fuel use in the processing of alumina — providing an incentive for one of Australia’s biggest industries to adopt this technology and offer low-carbon alumina to the world market.
UNSW digs the data: How much solar energy is lost through automated inverter settings?
In a huge data-crunching project designed to inform rooftop solar-export policy and regulations, UNSW technical and social researchers delve into the costs and effectiveness of inverter standards.
Saturday read: New applications see surge in Chinese demand
China’s project development segment is dynamic, to say the least. Having undergone significant changes toward a “subsidy-free” footing, developers are now facing requirements to integrate storage, deploy hybrid arrays, and pursue self consumption through BIPV and agrivoltaics applications, writes Frank Haugwitz, the director of the Asia Europe Clean Energy (Solar) Advisory (AECEA).
Hydrogen to be produced from seawater in Spanish solar-plus-storage plant
Spanish PV project developer Gransolar is planning to build a large-scale green hydrogen production plant in the Port of Almería, in southern Spain.
Dubai’s first green hydrogen project comes online
The project is the first solar-powered green hydrogen facility in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
