Group items tagged

"Due to its reliance on fossil fuel, Australia's power system is now among the least resilient of its global competitors. The three part series, "Delivering a competitive Australian power system" seeks to address this issue. This paper, the final in a three part series examining the competitiveness of Australia's power system, seeks to identify a pragmatic strategy to transition Australia to a resilient power economy at reasonable cost and in an age of uncertainty. The resilience of a country's power economy refers to its ability to meet power requirements while withstanding supply shocks and environmental constraints. For a country's power economy to be competitive, it must be both affordable and resilient."

"Power generation from hydro, wind, solar and other renewable sources worldwide will exceed that from gas and be twice that from nuclear by 2016, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said today in its second annual Medium-Term Renewable Energy Market Report (MTRMR). According to the MTRMR, despite a difficult economic context, renewable power is expected to increase by 40% in the next five years. Renewables are now the fastest-growing power generation sector and will make up almost a quarter of the global power mix by 2018, up from an estimated 20% in 2011. The share of non-hydro sources such as wind, solar, bioenergy and geothermal in total power generation will double, reaching 8% by 2018, up from 4% in 2011 and just 2% in 2006."

"For the first time ever, today's energy system can be experienced within a browser game. In POWER MATRIX Game you build your city and supply it with the perfect energy mix. If you turn out to be a good power manager, your city will be wealthy and grow in a clean environment. Install assets, trade power within your community, do research for new technologies, and make your way up in the POWER MATRIX Game global ranking."

"Following the Fukushima nuclear disaster, Japan is turning to renewable energy, and especially solar power, in a big way. By the end of 2012, Japan had already installed 7.4 gigawatts of solar power capacity, but that's set to double this year, according to analysts at Bloomberg New Energy Finance. This stellar pace of growth in solar power is set to make Japan the second-fastest growing solar market in the world, second only to neighboring China. It will also make the country the holder of the third-largest total installed solar capacity, behind Germany and Italy."

"Australia's largest concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) solar power plant was officially opened today, with the Victorian energy minister joining executives from the plant's developer, Solar Systems, to cut the ribbon on the 1.5MW demonstration facility in Mildura. The demonstration of the "dense array" solar technology of parent company Silex Systems is a fore-runner for what is expected to be a 100MW power plant, with construction slated to begin in 2014. Another 1MW demonstration plant is being built in Saudi Arabia, with hopes of further development as that country pushes into the start of a $100 billion solar spending program"

"Australia has a problem with its power system that goes to the core of many issues we're facing at the moment - increasing coal and gas prices, changing electricity usage, and climate change. That's the problem of resilience: how well our power system can adapt to change. Right now, our power system is not in a position to adapt to change. If temperatures rise as expected; if the global price of coal and gas increase dramatically; if global carbon reduction becomes binding; or we start changing our electricity usage patterns, adjusting the system will be very expensive."

"Power Meter Description The Power Meter is simple to use, simply plug it into any powerpoint and then plug your appliance into the meter and it will automatically show you the power the appliance is using."

Welcome to the POWER MATRIX Game - the new, free strategy game. Now available for your browser. Found your POWER MATRIX City and power your world. Play for free now.

"The monthly solar power generation record has been shattered in Germany, again. The country measured over 5.1 terawatt hours (TWh) of solar power in July, according to data gathered by the EEX (Energy) Transparency Platform. It's an impressive result, considering Germany gets less than half the sun available in some sunnier parts of the world."

"A recent discovery by Herman Trabish of Greentech Media, in regard to California's power grid, is that 97% of new electricity to be added in the second half of this year will come from solar power projects."

THE myth that solar power is unreliable because clouds sometimes cover the sun has been dispelled by a world-first report produced by the CSIRO. While clouds or rainy weather drastically reduce the amount of electricity produced by solar panels, intelligent management of the power grid means panels and mirrors should still supply 40 per cent of the nation's energy in the future, the report said.

We already know that our traditional thermoelectric power sources, namely coal, are having a negative impact on our planet's climate. But, as it turns out, the reverse is also true - research has found that worldwide warming is reducing the amount of cooling water that can be used in coal and nuclear plants, and this is already causing problems for electrical grids in the US and Europe.

Consumers could save up to 10 per cent on power bills thanks to a new energy saving solution designed by two PhD students at the University of Sydney. The MyPower Energy Platform allows users to monitor the power consumption of individual appliances and determines the best times to use them.

The World Wind Energy Conference is winding up in Bonn, Germany with the special focus this year being 'Community Power - Citizens Power', recognising the power of the community energy model. We are delighted and humbled to have been awarded the prestigious World Wind Energy Award 2012.

"South Australia broke another wind power record during August, with the state's wind farms providing the equivalent of just under 40 per cent of the state's power, the Clean Energy Council said today. Clean Energy Council Policy Director Russell Marsh said August had broken records for wind power across the country, with South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania and New South Wales all hitting new highs during the period."

"There have been quite a few headlines lately about the record amounts of solar power getting built in China. In 2013, the country added at least 12 gigawatts of solar capacity - 50 percent more than any country has ever built in a single year. Impressive. But let's also put this in context. China is a massive country and is building lots of everything. And last year it added far more fossil-fuel output capability than it did solar, wind, hydro and nuclear power combined."

"The biggest solar power project in the entire state of Minnesota is going to be at an airport. On Thursday, Gov. Mark Dayton joined officials from the Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport to announce the construction of a $25 million solar project there, which will be built on top of two parking ramps at the airport's main terminal. The solar panels are expected to produce 3 megawatts (MW) of power, and generate close to 20 percent of the airport's total electricity. Beyond the airport, the project means that Minnesota itself will have 20 percent more solar capacity than it did before."

"With Australian electricity prices amongst the highest in the world, more and more households are going solar. The big power companies say the Renewable Energy Target is undermining their businesses and they want it wound back. The federal government agrees, so who is to blame for the high price of power? Jess Hill investigates."

EVs and solar power - go together like a horse and carriage : Renew Economy

"Good News Friday, April 25 {Solar Power, Extreme Green Buildings, Growth of Renewables}"