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Worlds Largest Solar Power Boat |
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Monday, 01 March 2010 13:51 |
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A skipper hoping to become the first to circumnavigate the globe using solar power said his catamaran could carve a wake for pollution-free shipping as he unveiled the world's largest solar-powered vessel in Germany. Raphael Domjan, 38, pulled the covers off the 18 million euro ($27.4 million) catamaran yesterday. "This is a unique feeling to see in front of me today a boat which I so often dreamed about," he said. PlanetSolar, a 31 x 15-metre white catamaran, has been designed to reach a top speed of around 15 knots, equivalent to 27 kilometres per hour, and can hold up to 50 passengers. Five hundred square metres of black solar panels top the vessel, with a bright white cockpit sticking up in the centre. Built at the Knierim Yacht Club in Kiel in northern Germany, its state-of-the-art design also means it will be able to slice smoothly through the waves even in choppy waters. The team behind its construction acknowledge that solar power is not about to become the main power source on modern cargo ships. They say they want to use the voyage primarily to promote solar power and other non-polluting sources of energy and to show what can be done. "The aim is really to show that we have the technology today, not tomorrow," Mr Domjan said. "It's not in a laboratory or DIY. It is a technology that is reliable, able to perform and economically interesting." PlanetSolar will launch in late March before starring at Hamburg port's 821st anniversary celebrations in May and undergoing testing between June and September. You can find this and similar articles on the ABC website. |
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Monday, 01 March 2010 13:43 |
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Hard on the heels of being approved by the FTC to buy and sell energy, Google has announced what they see as a significant breakthrough in the materials used to concentrate the sun’s rays in solar thermal technology plants. Solar thermal plans work by focusing the rays of the sun on water in order to boil the water to form steam, which is then used to turn turbines to generate electricity. The more focused the the beam of light, the more steam is produced more quickly and the more electricity can be generated. Google has been working with the materials that are used in the construction of the mirrors that do the focusing, and they feel that they have made a discovery that can double the efficiency of a solar thermal technology power plant, according to a CNET article. Bill Weihl, who is Google’s green-energy czar, says that they have been working hard on the project and are producing results. He says, “Things have progressed. We have an internal prototype. There is a decent chance that in a small number of years, we could have a 2-X reduction in cost.” Obviously, by cutting in half the cost of building the power plant, the owner of the plant can produce energy at a lower cost, making that energy more attractive to buyers. Google has been investing not only in research related to the energy industry, but specifically in companies that have a connection to the green energy field and solar thermal companies in particular. Two such acquisitions, eSolar and BrightSource, would be the logical vehicles for such a mirror, something that is not lost on Weihl. He says that he has discussed the new mirror technology with both companies, and that they are interested, although the new technology is not yet at a point where it can be tested outside Google’s labs. At the same time, he said that both companies were interested in the development, noting that, “If it works, it would absolutely be something they would use.” Perhaps there was some commercial reason after all for Google to acquire a license to buy and sell energy… You can find this and similar articles over at TechBlorge. |
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Renewable Energy Target Changes |
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Friday, 26 February 2010 11:43 |
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NATIONAL: The clean energy industry says changes to the renewable energy target announced today will deliver stalled multi-million dollar commercial projects as well as supporting household scale technologies such as solar panels and solar hot water systems.
“The Rudd Government has got it right with this announcement,” said Clean Energy Council chief executive Matthew Warren.
“The clean energy industry has been discussing structural design issues with the current Renewable Energy Target since late last year. The Rudd Government has listened carefully to industry advice and today has acted decisively and effectively.
“Our main concern was to improve the design of the RET to ensure that it delivered both industrial scale generation projects as well as the continued development and deployment of household technologies like solar panels and hot water. Today’s announcement addresses this problem.
“We will continue to work with the government to ensure the final legislation is effective and efficient.
“These changes clear the path for the clean energy industry to play its crucial role in driving down the cost of clean energy whilst cutting Australia’s greenhouse emissions.
“This is good news for jobs and investment in the renewable energy industry,” Mr Warren said. For more information please visit the Clean Energy Council. |
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No House Fires Caused by Solar Panels |
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Tuesday, 23 February 2010 08:20 |
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NATIONAL: The Clean Energy Council (CEC) has moved to reassure consumers about the safety of Australian household solar panel systems following a story on ABC’s Lateline program on the 17th February 2010.
Clean Energy Council chief executive Matthew Warren said while there had been around 100,000 solar panels installed in Australian households over the last 30 years, the industry has received no reports of any causing house fires.
“We take safety seriously. The safety record of the solar industry is good. To put this in perspective there are more than 10,000 house fires every year, most of which are caused by faulty wiring or appliances – not solar panels,” Mr Warren said.
“All solar panels receiving government support must be installed by an accredited installer. The panels must comply with the Australian standard. All houses connecting solar panels back to the grid must also be installed by a licensed electrician.
The accreditation program includes audits of installed systems to ensure compliance with these rigorous standards and consumer confidence is maintained.
“All households looking to install solar panels should be using a CEC-accredited installer who is required to ensure that their solar panel system is safe and complies with the Australian standard,” Mr Warren said.
“The Clean Energy Council will continue to work with Federal and State Governments to ensure the highest standards are maintained and consumers can continue to generate their own clean electricity with confidence,” he said.
“We welcome any additional measures to improve the safety, performance and reliability of these technologies as they evolve to becoming part of the mainstream energy supply in Australia.”
“Both major parties should be proud of the transformative effect their policies have had in developing the Australian solar industry. They have made solar power more affordable for consumers, created jobs and reduced thousands of Australian household’s reliance on fossil fuel-based electricity,” he said. For more information please visit the Clean Energy Council. |
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Premier Delivers Better Solar Tariffs For Families |
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Tuesday, 10 November 2009 18:29 |
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Embargo 10th November 2009
Intervention by Premier Nathan Rees in the NSW Solar Bonus Scheme will deliver the most generous payments to families in the country.
“Our gross payment system will deliver higher paybacks to families and makes NSW national leaders in the clean energy revolution,” said Mr
Rees.
“A ‘gross scheme’ is based on the total solar energy produced in your home rather than payments based only on what you don’t use.
“These changes will see an average family paid around $1496 a year.
“That’s a 62 percent increase on the previous scheme and means households can pay off their investment in solar panels in around eight years.
“Under our scheme, homeowners will know up-front how much they will be paid for all the energy their solar panels produce.”
Households with solar panels will be paid 60 cents per kilowatt hour and an average household system would generate annually around 2500 kWh. The NSW scheme will have a cap on the size of home solar systems of 10 kW. A system this size would generate around 16 700 kWh and pay almost $10 000 a year.
“Creating certainty in the feed-in-tariff scheme is one way we can encourage families to invest in solar technology and support the clean energy industry,” said Mr Rees.
A review of the scheme was one of the first tasks for the newly created Ministerial portfolio of Climate Change, Environment and Energy. Minister John Robertson will introduce legislation for the scheme into parliament this week.
We are introducing legislation to allow these changes to come into effect next year. Transitional arrangements will also be made for families already receiving a feed-in-tariff,” said Mr Robertson.
The scheme is proposed to run for seven years.
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