CleanTechnica » Solar PV http://cleantechnica.com Clean Tech News & Views: Solar Energy News. Wind Energy News. EV News. & More. Tue, 30 Dec 2014 18:48:25 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=4.0.1 No Long-Term Future For Large Centralized Electricity Generators & Retailers, Says CEO http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/17/long-term-future-large-centralized-electricity-generators-retailers-says-ceo/ http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/17/long-term-future-large-centralized-electricity-generators-retailers-says-ceo/#comments Wed, 17 Dec 2014 06:00:44 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=76439 Originally published on RenewEconomy. The head of one of Australia’s biggest electricity networks says he sees no long-term future for large, centralised electricity generators, nor for big electricity retailers. Rob Stobbe, the CEO of SA Power Networks, says both business models will be made redundant – the generators by the increased use of localised, mostly

No Long-Term Future For Large Centralized Electricity Generators & Retailers, Says CEO was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/17/long-term-future-large-centralized-electricity-generators-retailers-says-ceo/feed/ 8 Australia’s Rooftop Solar PV Surpasses 4 GW http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/15/australias-rooftop-solar-pv-surpasses-4gw/ http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/15/australias-rooftop-solar-pv-surpasses-4gw/#comments Mon, 15 Dec 2014 19:33:46 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=76384 Originally published on RenewEconomy. Australia has surpassed 4GW of rooftop solar PV, according to data provided by the Australian Photovoltaic Institute. The revelation comes just days after Australian Bureau of Statistics data indicated that one if five houses around the country had a rooftop solar array. The APVI, which operates the solar map that tracks

Australia’s Rooftop Solar PV Surpasses 4 GW was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/15/australias-rooftop-solar-pv-surpasses-4gw/feed/ 3 17% Of Household Energy Comes From Rooftop Solar In Queensland http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/12/17-household-energy-comes-rooftop-solar-queensland/ http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/12/17-household-energy-comes-rooftop-solar-queensland/#comments Fri, 12 Dec 2014 16:06:52 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=76264 Originally published on RenewEconomy. The proportion of residential energy in the south-east corner of Queensland that was generated by rooftop solar has jumped to 17 per cent in November, according to the local grid operator. Energex, which operates the distribution network around Brisbane, and from the Sunshine Coast down to the Gold Coast, says total

17% Of Household Energy Comes From Rooftop Solar In Queensland was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/12/17-household-energy-comes-rooftop-solar-queensland/feed/ 7 Aussie Solar Pioneer To Test Combo Of Tesla EV + PV + Storage http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/11/aussie-solar-pioneer-test-combo-tesla-ev-pv-storage/ http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/11/aussie-solar-pioneer-test-combo-tesla-ev-pv-storage/#comments Thu, 11 Dec 2014 07:30:27 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=76216 Originally published on RenewEconomy. David Mills, one of Australia’s greatest solar pioneers, is among the first recipients of a Tesla Model S vehicle in Australia, and says he will combine the electric vehicle with solar and storage to get a taste of the future energy systems. Mills, a world leader in solar thermal technology whose

Aussie Solar Pioneer To Test Combo Of Tesla EV + PV + Storage was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/11/aussie-solar-pioneer-test-combo-tesla-ev-pv-storage/feed/ 10 Australian Team Sets New Solar PV Efficiency Record http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/10/australian-team-sets-new-solar-pv-efficiency-record/ http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/10/australian-team-sets-new-solar-pv-efficiency-record/#comments Wed, 10 Dec 2014 21:27:13 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=76199 Originally published on RenewEconomy. By Sophie Vorrath An ARENA-funded solar research team at the University of New South Wales has recorded the highest efficiency for a PV system ever reported, converting over 40 per cent of sunlight into electricity, with an innovative take on Australian-designed solar tower technology. The team achieved 40.1 per cent efficiency

Australian Team Sets New Solar PV Efficiency Record was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/10/australian-team-sets-new-solar-pv-efficiency-record/feed/ 6 The Birth of On-Grid Rooftop Photovoltaics http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/10/birth-grid-rooftop-photovoltaics/ http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/10/birth-grid-rooftop-photovoltaics/#comments Wed, 10 Dec 2014 07:53:47 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=76140 Special thanks to author John Perlin for this contribution about the introduction of rooftop photovoltaics. The material comes from Perlin’s recently published book, Let It Shine: The 6000-Year Story of Solar Energy. John Ericsson had gained great fame in America for designing the Monitor, the first iron ship that helped save the Union forces during America’s

The Birth of On-Grid Rooftop Photovoltaics was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/10/birth-grid-rooftop-photovoltaics/feed/ 34 Bridges To New Distributed Solar Business Models: New Report Released http://cleantechnica.com/2014/11/28/bridges-new-distributed-solar-business-models-new-report-released/ http://cleantechnica.com/2014/11/28/bridges-new-distributed-solar-business-models-new-report-released/#comments Fri, 28 Nov 2014 17:30:05 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=75563 Originally published on Rocky Mountain Institute. Distributed Solar’s Continued Growth Requires Aligning Interests of Utilities, Solar Companies “Every four minutes, another American home or business goes solar” is perhaps the most widely cited solar market statistic today. But while that number is impressive, it doesn’t give a sense for just how quickly distributed solar PV

Bridges To New Distributed Solar Business Models: New Report Released was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2014/11/28/bridges-new-distributed-solar-business-models-new-report-released/feed/ 10 Solar And Storage: How Australian Utilities Are Preparing http://cleantechnica.com/2014/11/21/solar-storage-australian-utilities-preparing/ http://cleantechnica.com/2014/11/21/solar-storage-australian-utilities-preparing/#comments Fri, 21 Nov 2014 19:30:07 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=75284 Originally published on RenewEconomy. It’s the big question facing energy utilities around the world: How quickly will rooftop solar and battery storage change the nature of the energy market, and how long can those who currently dominate the market hold on to the their incumbent business models? This week, AGL Energy gave some insight into

Solar And Storage: How Australian Utilities Are Preparing was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2014/11/21/solar-storage-australian-utilities-preparing/feed/ 3 Negative Impacts of Rooftop Solar Will Fall on Utility Investors http://cleantechnica.com/2014/11/18/negative-impacts-of-rooftop-solar-will-fall-on-investors/ http://cleantechnica.com/2014/11/18/negative-impacts-of-rooftop-solar-will-fall-on-investors/#comments Tue, 18 Nov 2014 19:45:50 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=75100 Negative impacts of rooftop solar will fall on investors: potential earnings could drop +40% in some scenarios. Ratepayers will be relatively unaffected

Negative Impacts of Rooftop Solar Will Fall on Utility Investors was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2014/11/18/negative-impacts-of-rooftop-solar-will-fall-on-investors/feed/ 12 High Network Charges Can Be A Solar PV Shocker http://cleantechnica.com/2014/11/10/high-network-charges-can-solar-pv-shocker/ http://cleantechnica.com/2014/11/10/high-network-charges-can-solar-pv-shocker/#comments Mon, 10 Nov 2014 18:30:17 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=74791 Originally published on RenewEconomy. Phil was in a state of shock earlier this month when he received his electricity bill from hit electricity utility – the first since a 22kW rooftop solar system had been installed at a local church in Buderim, Queensland, where he works. Everything seemed OK. The addition of solar meant that the church’s energy use fell

High Network Charges Can Be A Solar PV Shocker was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2014/11/10/high-network-charges-can-solar-pv-shocker/feed/ 14 Solar Manufacturers Doing More Business In-House http://cleantechnica.com/2014/11/06/solar-manufacturers-business-house/ http://cleantechnica.com/2014/11/06/solar-manufacturers-business-house/#comments Thu, 06 Nov 2014 12:19:49 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=74571 More and more, the top solar PV module suppliers are expanding their numbers by shipping to subsidiary businesses tasked with PV systems deployment. This is especially the case for the top 20 solar PV suppliers in the industry, including Chinese heavyweights such as Trina Solar, Yingli Green Energy, Jinko Solar, and JA Solar. They join

Solar Manufacturers Doing More Business In-House was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2014/11/06/solar-manufacturers-business-house/feed/ 1 Solar PV In India Is Cheaper Than Importing Coal From Australia http://cleantechnica.com/2014/10/29/solar-pv-india-cheaper-importing-coal-australia/ http://cleantechnica.com/2014/10/29/solar-pv-india-cheaper-importing-coal-australia/#comments Wed, 29 Oct 2014 16:30:18 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=74184 RenewEconomy. The results of India’s latest solar auction are in, and it is bad news for developers of Australian coal projects – solar PV is cheaper for Indian users than the electricity price needed to pay for imports of coal from Australia. A tender for 500MW of solar capacity in the sunny, south-eastern state of

Solar PV In India Is Cheaper Than Importing Coal From Australia was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2014/10/29/solar-pv-india-cheaper-importing-coal-australia/feed/ 7 Sun Above the Horizon: A History Of The Solar PV Industry, And A Look Ahead http://cleantechnica.com/2014/10/24/sun-horizon-history-solar-pv-industry-look-ahead/ http://cleantechnica.com/2014/10/24/sun-horizon-history-solar-pv-industry-look-ahead/#comments Fri, 24 Oct 2014 15:56:40 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=73915 Energy Post. The spectacular global growth of solar PV is one of the big energy stories of today. And it may well become the energy story of the 21st Century. Where did the solar revolution “suddenly”come from? And where will it take us? One of the pioneers of the sector, Peter F. Varadi, co-founder of

Sun Above the Horizon: A History Of The Solar PV Industry, And A Look Ahead was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2014/10/24/sun-horizon-history-solar-pv-industry-look-ahead/feed/ 5 Latin America And Caribbean Region Expected To Install 9 GW Of Solar In 5 Years http://cleantechnica.com/2014/09/30/latin-america-caribbean-region-expected-install-9-gw-solar-5-years/ http://cleantechnica.com/2014/09/30/latin-america-caribbean-region-expected-install-9-gw-solar-5-years/#comments Tue, 30 Sep 2014 17:30:08 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=72627 That solar photovoltaic (PV) technology is poised to become a dominant energy generation technology throughout the world is of no surprise to most, but the sheer wealth of possibility being forecast throughout the middle and southern hemispheres begins to give an idea of just how prevalent the technology will be by the end of the decade. Figures

Latin America And Caribbean Region Expected To Install 9 GW Of Solar In 5 Years was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2014/09/30/latin-america-caribbean-region-expected-install-9-gw-solar-5-years/feed/ 4 Duke Energy Commits $500 Million To Solar Power Expansion In North Carolina http://cleantechnica.com/2014/09/16/duke-energy-commits-500-million-solar-power-expansion-north-carolina/ http://cleantechnica.com/2014/09/16/duke-energy-commits-500-million-solar-power-expansion-north-carolina/#comments Tue, 16 Sep 2014 14:30:19 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=72011 The largest US utility owner by market value, Duke Energy, announced Monday a commitment to invest $500 million into expanding the solar market in North Carolina. Duke Energy is set to acquire and construct three solar facilities to go hand-in-hand with five new power-purchase agreements (PPA). “This is Duke Energy’s largest single announcement for solar

Duke Energy Commits $500 Million To Solar Power Expansion In North Carolina was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2014/09/16/duke-energy-commits-500-million-solar-power-expansion-north-carolina/feed/ 14 China Top-And-Tailing Crystalline Silicon Solar PV Chain http://cleantechnica.com/2014/09/11/china-top-tailing-crystalline-silicon-solar-pv-chain/ http://cleantechnica.com/2014/09/11/china-top-tailing-crystalline-silicon-solar-pv-chain/#comments Thu, 11 Sep 2014 22:30:09 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=71831 The solar industry has been subjected to an intense period of growth and maturation over the past 24 months, as a result of China’s impressive manufacturing capabilities and worldwide demand for one of the two major renewable energy technologies. By the end of 2011 China had emerged as the leading supplier of the crystalline silicon

China Top-And-Tailing Crystalline Silicon Solar PV Chain was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2014/09/11/china-top-tailing-crystalline-silicon-solar-pv-chain/feed/ 4 US And China Hold Almost Half Of PV Pipeline, But Only 3.7 GW In China http://cleantechnica.com/2014/09/09/us-china-hold-almost-half-pv-pipeline-3-7-gw-china/ http://cleantechnica.com/2014/09/09/us-china-hold-almost-half-pv-pipeline-3-7-gw-china/#comments Tue, 09 Sep 2014 16:30:28 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=71733 Market research firm IHS has confirmed that there are currently 132 GW worth of solar photovoltaic (PV) projects at various stages of development around the world, with almost half of that residing in the United States and China. However, given China’s recent rhetoric regarding their growing anti-coal stance and their promise to focus on solar

US And China Hold Almost Half Of PV Pipeline, But Only 3.7 GW In China was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2014/09/09/us-china-hold-almost-half-pv-pipeline-3-7-gw-china/feed/ 1 US Solar Makes Up Over Half Of New Generating Capacity http://cleantechnica.com/2014/09/08/us-solar-makes-half-new-generating-capacity/ http://cleantechnica.com/2014/09/08/us-solar-makes-half-new-generating-capacity/#comments Mon, 08 Sep 2014 14:30:23 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=71676 The US solar industry has enjoyed a relatively strong quarter in the first half of 2014, despite trade disputes endangering projects currently in the pipeline. New figures from GTM Research and the Solar Energy Industries Association’s Q2 2014 U.S. Solar Market Insight report show that the US installed 1,133 MW of new solar PV capacity in

US Solar Makes Up Over Half Of New Generating Capacity was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2014/09/08/us-solar-makes-half-new-generating-capacity/feed/ 3 Large Scale Solar PV Projects At Risk, While California Powers On http://cleantechnica.com/2014/09/03/large-scale-solar-pv-projects-risk-california-powers/ http://cleantechnica.com/2014/09/03/large-scale-solar-pv-projects-risk-california-powers/#comments Wed, 03 Sep 2014 14:30:05 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=71445 The US solar PV pipeline has been standing on shaky ground for the past few months as trade investigations put a dampener on a number of projects relying on Chinese manufacturers. NPD Solarbuzz, working from their United States Deal Tracker, have pinpointed those sectors of the industry most likely to be affected by the trade disputes.

Large Scale Solar PV Projects At Risk, While California Powers On was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2014/09/03/large-scale-solar-pv-projects-risk-california-powers/feed/ 24 China Could Reach 100 GW Of PV Capacity By 2018 http://cleantechnica.com/2014/09/01/china-reach-100-gw-pv-capacity-2018/ http://cleantechnica.com/2014/09/01/china-reach-100-gw-pv-capacity-2018/#comments Mon, 01 Sep 2014 14:30:33 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=71363 It was announced in the middle of August that the UK had surpassed 5 GW worth of solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity, just the sixth country to have done so. However, Michael Barker, a senior analyst for NPD Solarbuzz, has written in a blog post that such a milestone will soon mean very little as countries

China Could Reach 100 GW Of PV Capacity By 2018 was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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