New solar technology based on Australian design
The Pluto design is based on the PERL (passivated emitter with rear locally diffused) technology developed at Australia’s University of New South Wales, where efficiencies of 25 percent have been achieved in the laboratory. Unique texturing technology with lower reflectivity ensures more sunlight can be absorbed throughout the day even without direct solar radiation.
Suntech Unveils Pluto and Mono/Multi Hybrid Modules, Two new products show the innovation coming from China’s solar firms. GreenTechSolar, Eric Wesoff, 12 July 11, Suntech (NYSE: STP), the world’s largest solar module manufacturer just launched two new products. Continue reading
New ! Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA)
The agency will be managed by an independent board of investment, business and energy experts
appointed by cabinet. It will therefore take away the responsibility for AUD$3.2 billion (€2.4 billion) of
renewable energy funding from the department of the Resources and Energy Minister Martin Ferguson, which supporters of the move say will mean less political red tape and more action.
Independent MP Rob Oakeshott also showed support for ARENA, saying that it provides an opportunity for solar to develop into a reliable base-load option in Australia.
“Geothermal, solar and hydro are all proving themselves up as real option for peak loads and increasingly for base-load. A finance scheme the size of ARENA will help Australia transition in a competitive way in regard our renewable strategy,”
Australia: New renewable energy agency announced at Canberra solar roundtable, PV Magazine 08. JULY 2011 BY: NICHOLAS STONE A gathering of solar industry heavyweights held in Canberra today has prompted the early release of details about a new body to oversee the future of renewable energy projects in Australia. Continue reading
CSIRO set to lead Australia’s renewable energy revolution
CSIRO maps out Australia’s energy future, Australian Broadcasting Corporation Broadcast: 05/07/2011, Reporter: Michael Troy The CSIRO is at the forefront of development of renewable energy generation but Australia is struggling for investment in commercialisation.Transcript, PHILIP LASKER, PRESENTER: Australia’s power grid is about to be reshaped with the introduction of a carbon tax. The CSIRO has outlined its vision for a low-carbon future, with a mix of renewables, geothermal and lower-emissions coal supplying all of Australia’s power needs within 30 years.
The research and development is continuing apace, but funding for commercialisation has stalled, with investors shying away from Australian companies.
…….With the new battery – called an UltraBattery – there is enough stored energy in this one container to power 1,000 homes for a day. The batteries also even out the power fed into the grid…….http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/business/items/201107/s3262006.htm
Selling solar energy from Australian home rooftops
AUSTRALIA SAYS HOUSEHOLDS CAN SELL SOLAR ENERGY FOR US$40, Utility Products, 6 July 2011 Australian households can sell their solar energy for about A$38 (US$40.48) for every megawatt hour of electricity generated.
The Office of the Renewable Energy Regulator says the average market price for a Renewable Energy Certificate, which is equivalent to one megawatt hour of electricity generation, is $38.39 in 2011.
The office released its annual report on Tuesday which showed more than 160,000 homes and businesses installed solar energy last year.
That was an increase of more than 100,000 on the previous year.
“Growth in the installation of solar panels was encouraged by various state and federal initiatives including Solar Credits,” the report said.
Solar credits make solar panel installation cheaper for home owners.
The ORER accredited 24 more renewable energy power stations in 2010, bringing to 316 the total number of accredited renewable energy power stations in Australia.
Those stations can generate power to the equivalent of more than 1.9 million homes.
91% of Australians want strong government policy for renewable energy
The sheer number of people we spoke to eclipsed any of the focus groups or randomised polls that are traditionally used to gauge the public mood.
The support we found for renewable energy was overwhelming. The people we spoke to support renewable energy and they want to see politicians get on with the job of bringing it online.
The real public opinion on renewable energy, The Drum, Andrew Bray, 29 June 11 “…….. to test the case, the 100% Renewable Energy campaign decided to bypass the media and get it straight from the horse’s mouth. We wanted to hear directly from our communities what they thought about renewable energy.
From February to May of this year, community groups associated with the campaign conducted over 14,000 face-to-face conversations at people’s doors, in their lounge rooms, at markets and community events and on the sidelines of football matches. Conversations took place from Bega to Bunbury and Cairns to Hobart. Continue reading
Australia missing out on renewable energy boom
A clean energy finance corporation is needed as part of the carbon pricing package to unlock the clean energy boom in Australia.Support for a clean energy finance corporation has come from the largest investors in Australia, such as the peak bodies in the super funds industry. Investors are ready to play their part.
Renewable boom is leaving us stumbling, The Canberra Times, BY SIMON O’CONNOR, 29 Jun, 2011 “……. Today, there is a global race to take advantage of the boom in renewable energy and countries like China, South Korea, Germany and the US are leaving us for dead. Often using technologies that were developed here.
We’re pretending not to notice as another clean energy technology manufacturer shuts up shop and heads offshore because Australia doesn’t have the right support to attract the investment needed.
Early this month, an Adelaide solar cell manufacturer closed its doors and relocated to the US after deciding an Australian-based operation wasn’t viable. After receiving $8million in state and federal research and development grants to develop super-slim solar panels pioneered at the Australian National University in Canberra, Origin Solar is heading to Idaho, taking with it the knowledge, the investment and the potential for a stack of new jobs. Continue reading
Solar power for Queensland’s Sunshine Coast
Australia’s Sunshine Coast gives green light to 10MW PV plant Recharge, 30 June 11 Energy Parks Australia (EPA) has been given the go-ahead to build one of the country’s largest solar plants – a 10MW facility on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. The A$40m ($43m) project – the first of what the company hopes will be a pipeline of six – was approved by the Sunshine Coast Regional CouncilThe 50 hectare site on former sugar-cane land at Valdora, about 125km north of Brisbane, may include a biofuel plant alongside the PV installation.
EPA is looking for domestic and international investors to back the project.
The solar facility would be one of the biggest in Australia, apart from the utility-scale projects announced earlier this month under the government’s Solar
Flagships programme…. http://www.rechargenews.com/energy/solar/article264517.ece
Swap your BHP shares: rooftop solar is a better investment
Rooftop Solar Power A Better Investment Than Shares, Renewable Energy News by Energy Matters 20 June 11 An independent think tank believes Australian retirees investing in solar power will find it a more profitable investment than BHP Billiton shares and safer than bank shares.
Writing for the Australian Financial Review, David Hetherington, Executive Director of independent progressive think tank Per Capita, says new “solar plus storage” technology for homes and small businesses offers a way for retirees and others to future proof against rapidly escalating electricity costs. Continue reading
Community wind power to the people of Hepburn, Victoria
Australian community wind delivers power to the people Recharge 22 June 11 Community wind farms are no stranger to the US — where the sector is comparable to the size of the entire Australian commercial wind industry. But Australia has been slow to jump on the community bandwagon. Low-cost electricity generated from the country’s vast coal and gas reserves provides real challenges to the economics, while connecting windy but often remote regions to the national grid is difficult and expensive.
Enter the pioneers of the Hepburn Wind Park — Australia’s first co-operative wind farm, about 100km northwest of Melbourne, Victoria.
Commissioned this week, nearly four years after the co-operative was registered, Hepburn’s two 2MW turbines now supply enough electricity to power 2,300 homes — 300 more than are in the area.
The community-owned project moved from dream to reality in April last year, when Germany’s REpower signed a contract to build the wind farm, and a final offer for 1.8 million shares was released. Continue reading
35,000 Western Australian homes to get wind energy
GE’s wind technology enters Western Australia, Industrial Fuels and Power June 21st, 2011 by IFandP Newsroom A consortium including GE and Australian firm Leighton Contractors has received a US$130m contract to supply and install 22 GE 2.5-100 wind turbines for the Mumbida Wind Farm. Located 40km southeast of Geraldton, marks the entry of GE in the Australia/New Zealand region.
A 50/50 partnership between Western Australia-owned utility Verve Energy and Macquarie Capital, the Mumbida Wind Farm will generate 55MW of renewable energy for the South West Interconnected System, enough to eliminate 165,000t of greenhouse gases annually and supply power to around 35,000 homes…….http://www.ifandp.com/article/0011718.html
Australian govt awards solar funding to nuclear company AREVA
BP Solar, Areva win $770m funding from Solar Flagship Climate Spectator 18 June 11 The Federal Government on Saturday announced that a consortium led by BP Solar and a proposal put forward by French nuclear giant Areva had won the 1st round of funding under the $1.5 billion Solar Flagships Program. Continue reading
Giant solar energy plants for New South Wales and Queensland
Giant solar energy plants to run 100,000 homes, Sydney Morning Herald, Ben CubbyJune 20, 2011 THE two giant new solar power plants slated for Moree in western NSW and Chinchilla in Queensland will mark the first time solar power in Australia is deployed on a scale large and reliable enough to rival coal as a source of ”baseload” energy. Neither plant is close to being the world’s biggest, with much more powerful solar power stations in the US and Spain already under construction, but enough power to run more than 100,000 households will be generated without the use of fossil fuels…. Continue reading
Poll finds majority of Australians want 100% renewabl energy
Deputy Australian Greens leader Christine Milne, who accepted the survey on behalf of the multi-party climate change committee, said the results were a resounding “yes” to renewable energy………… “It needs more than the renewable energy target.” The only large-scale projects in Australia so far have been in wind, but more needs to be done to bring on solar and thermal projects, Senator Milne said…….
Most want 100% renewable energy: survey Nine MSN News 15 June 11- A clear majority of Australians want the nation to move towards 100 per cent renewable energy, a major survey suggests. Continue reading
Australian Productivity Commission overestimated costs of solar power
some media reports seem to have put a strong focus on the solar element rather than the major driver – increases in the costs of transmission and distribution. Massive amounts of money are being poured into network upgrades to service peak demand; largely driven by the use of air-conditioners during the summer months. “Here’s again where rooftop solar power can be a saviour,” said Mr. Rich. “By creating the power closer the point of consumption, you decrease line loss, which can account for up to 10% of electricity generation – and line loss worsens in warm weather. Additionally, solar power systems would be generating the most power during times when the bulk of air-conditioning is being used. Rooftop solar has many other benefits – it’s the Internet of distributed electricity generation.”
Solar Power’s Carbon Abatement Cost Exaggerated, Renewable Energy News, by Energy Matters 15 June 11 –The Australian Productivity Commission’s recent report questioning the value and benefit of residential solar power is misinformed says Jeremy Rich, CEO of national solar solutions provider Energy Matters.
Electric cars will boost Australia’s renewable energy development
Australia group says Electric Vehicles charging can help jump-start renewables, Recharge,by Oliver Wagg, 13 june 11A nationwide electric vehicle (EV) charging network roll-out can act as a significant driver of renewable energy demand, says Better Place Australia after unveiling a landmark supply deal with the Australian Capital Territory’s utility ActewAGL. Continue reading
1 This month
7 April – WEBINAR – Australia and the Doomsday Clock – Preventing nuclear war through NoFirstUse and other policies
Online | Tuesday April 7, 4:00-5:30pm, Australian Eastern Time / 8:00-9:30am Central Europe Time
– Access the registration link
15 April – Zoom –Nuclear Power is Not the Solution
Apr 15, 2026 01:00 AM in Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney
Join the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) on Tuesday, April 14th for a timely webinar exploring the risks associated with nuclear power and challenging the myth that it offers a simple, safe, carbon-free solution to the climate crisis
21 April Webinar: No Nuclear Weapons in Australia
Start: 2026-04-21 18:00:00 UTC Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney (GMT+10:00)
End: 2026-04-21 19:30:00 UTC Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney (GMT+10:00)
Event Type: Virtual
A virtual link will be communicated before the event.
Host Contact Info: australia@icanw.org
of the week – Australians for War Powers Reform (AWPR)
To see nuclear-related stories in greater depth and intensity
Antinuclear 
