Opinion & Analysis

In the third of a series of four blogs, solar pioneer Philip Wolfe lists the world’s largest solar power plants. In these articles, a ‘solar plant’ is defined as an individual generating station.

With market penetration exceeding expectations in 2018, bifacial technology is set to account for one third of global solar module production by 2022, writes Edurne Zoco, Research Director at IHS Markit. Bifacial and half-cell technologies are rapidly gaining momentum due to their improvements in power output, along with their low implementation barriers and minimal capex requirements.

In the second of a series of four blogs, solar pioneer Philip Wolfe lists the world’s largest solar parks. In these articles, a ‘solar park’ is defined as a group of co-located solar power plants.

In the first of a short series of blogs, solar energy pioneer Philip Wolfe highlights the differences between solar farms, solar parks and clusters, in order to identify the world’s largest solar power stations.

An historic new report from Energy Watch shows that we can reach 100% renewable energy in just a few decades, and it’s affordable; making this the clear answer to tackling climate change.

The ABC current affairs show, 7.30, aired a segment on the safety standards in the Australian solar industry on Monday May 27. The program reported on the potentially tens of thousands of badly installed and unsafe solar systems on rooftops.

The world of electricity is unrelenting and confusing; from a multitude of energy plans to deciding on which solar system to install. The fast emerging home battery market now introduces another opportunity for homeowners to save thousands. However, not all battery systems are equal – and not all homes are suited to installing a home battery. The wrong home battery advice can cost homeowners thousands of dollars in unnecessary equipment.

With almost 100 GW commissioned in 2018 (the same level as in 2017), the PV market was stable at a global level, writes Becquerel Institute’s Gaëtan Masson. This hides different market developments, as for example the decline of the Chinese PV market from 53 to 45 GW, and growth in other markets. The global market, exempting China, grew from 41 GW in 2016 to 46 GW in 2017, a rather big jump as it reached close to 55 GW in 2018.

Cheaper renewables, technology, reputation, environmental and financial concerns all driving transition.

Australia’s Clean Energy Finance Corporation has invested more than $500 million in 12 climate bond issuances since it began investing in 2012, establishing a leadership position in this rapidly evolving investment channel.