Interview: How Solpod hopes to break the constraints of rooftop PV
Some commercial and industrial (C&I) rooftops remain shut off to solar installers. Weight constraints and roofs that cannot be penetrated by mourning structures can make a building unsuitable for PV. However, the major constraint for many enterprise owners or tenants is that they may no be able to benefit from the full 25-30 year lifetime of the system. The good news: it’s a challenge that can be overcome, says James Larratt, the CEO at Australian PV startup Solpod.
NSW Tweed Shire Council adds to its growing solar energy portfolio
Tweed Shire councillors voted last week for the installation of a 604 kW ground-mount solar power system at the Banora Point Wastewater Treatment Plant. This announcement follows last month’s addition of a 165 kW solar array atop the Tweed Regional Aquatic Centre (TRAC) in Murwillumbah.
Australian aged care sector turns to solar for lower energy bills
With the annual cost of energy per bed across the aged care sector on the rise, C&I PV and energy efficiency specialist Verdia says that a major energy transformation is underway across Australia.
ING to lend $37m to Sunseap to build 50 MW in Asia
The Dutch banking group will serve as sole mandated lead arranger for the S$50 million loan. A unit of Singapore-based developer Sunseap will use the funds to build a 50 MW portfolio of rooftop PV projects.
Solar to help power Sand Bypass System on Gold Coast
One of the Gold Coast’s most iconic pieces of infrastructure, the Sand Bypass System, will soon welcome a 100 kW solar array as part of a pilot project aimed at reducing operational costs.
Blockchain marketplace for PV power trading launched in Switzerland
Some 377 households and a retirement home are participating in a pilot project. In the first two weeks of this month, solar power generators sold 82% of their electricity within the neighborhood. The goal of the one-year test run is to develop a viable concept for the trading of solar power.
Aldi Australia to roll out 4.6 MW of rooftop solar
German discount supermarket chain Aldi is set to roll out solar PV across 30 stores and distribution centers in New South Wales and Queensland. Netherlands-based renewables developer Photon Energy will deliver the rooftop PV arrays.
Sunseap acquires minority stake in Todae Solar
Singapore-based solar developer Sunseap has taken a minority stake in Todae Solar, one of Australia’s largest solar commercial and industrial EPC companies.
Corporate solar procurement knocks it out of the park in 2018
According to Rocky Mountain Institute corporations have signed contracts for 2.8 GW of solar in the United States this year, a gigawatt more than the deals signed in all previous years combined.
Goats cheese, beer and brioche producers plug in to PV
A new report by the Climate Council celebrates thousands of Australian food and beverage producers switching to solar PV and wind energy to power their businesses.
