HomeBuilder misses a chance to make our homes perform better for us and the planet
The federal government’s new A$688 million HomeBuilder package might protect residential construction jobs but it’s a missed opportunity to deliver sustainability benefits that would save owners money in the long run.
Sydney’s 100% solar-powered floating villa
Welcome to the rarest kind of pleasure, a sustainable one. Australian designer Chuck Anderson’s Lilypad is a 100% solar powered villa floating off Palm Beach in Sydney’s north.
Photon Energy is wasting no time, wins Wodonga small-scale solar tender
Photon Energy Australia has been busier than a face-mask factory lately, and shows no signs of stopping after winning a tender for a 3 MWp hybrid solar power plant from North East Water to help power the Wodonga Wastewater Treatment Plant.
CEC publishes first ever national study of renewable energy workforce
The continuing dominance of the small-scale solar sector and the great potential for regional and rural jobs are just some of the findings in the Clean Energy Council’s “Clean Energy At Work”, a first-of-its-kind extensive report into the current renewable energy workforce and its potential over the next 10-15 years.
Australia tops up solar funding to Tonga
An additional $2.9 million from the Australian Government’s Outer Islands Renewable Energy Project (OIREP) is making its way across the sea to the kingdom of Tonga in the form of solar power plants and energy storage. The project is helping Tonga to achieve its target of generating 50% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2020 and 70% by 2030.
Renewable energy in the US surpassed coal for first time in more than a century
The coal era is officially over in the United States. Not since 1885, when coal replaced wood, have renewables taken the lead.
It may be safe to put PV panels in landfills, but that doesn’t mean we should
According to a new report from the International Energy Agency (IEA), health risks from lead in crystalline silicon PV panels are one order of magnitude — or about one-tenth — below the risk levels set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Perth-based Talga strikes deal with European lithium-ion battery giant
Perth-based graphite anode producer Talga has allied itself with European lithium-ion battery giant Farasis Energy Group as the market in Europe for sustainably sourced electric vehicles continues its rapid rise.
Solar parks may have better biodiversity impact than intensive monoculture farming
A research project in the Netherlands is seeking to assess the impact of large scale PV projects on soil quality and biodiversity. Principal scientist Wim Sinke, of Dutch research center TNO, says well-designed and operated and maintained solar parks could prove to have better outcomes than monoculture farming.
Cultana Solar Farm ramps up for construction start
Work on the long-awaited 280-megawatt Cultana Solar Farm in South Australia could begin as early as July.
