Solar power in Australian cities has recently sprung to life with various grants and great prices on offer. Furthermore, more people are realizing the obvious benefits that it can have in the long term. 

Lower Prices
The drive to own a home that is green is ‘on’ at the moment. The government is supporting this push and have set aside a large chunk of money to put towards various plans like the feed-in tariff program. If you have thought about installing solar panels in your home, at the moment you could save in the region of 30% off the total store price from a government-backed program alone.

On top of this, Australia receives the perfect amount of sunlight for solar panels to be effective. This means the homes in this country will receive the best benefits when they use them.

Utility Bill Saving
Apart from the positive impact on the environment, the main benefit of installing solar panels on your home is that you will start to notice your utility bills reduce significantly. Depending on the amount of solar energy you are generating, you could reduce your bills by a couple of hundred dollars a year or you could even make them obsolete. Furthermore, if you produce enough energy and do not use as much as you produce, then your panels could actually make you money as you can sell your units back to the government.

Developments to the Technology
There are a lot of people that are still under the impression that solar panels only work on sunny days, yet this is not the case. Even at night, solar panels gain power through the light emitted from the stars and the moon. Furthermore, on cloudy days, there are still rays of light that hit the panels, and all of this goes towards how much energy your panels gather.

Environmental Gain
Of course, if you think of yourself as green, then by using any amount of electricity contributes to global warming. When you use solar panels, this is not the case because there are no coals or oils that need to be burned, and no nuclear waste is produced. In fact, there are no emissions at all. While this may not be the biggest point to many, to some people, this is the point that makes having solar panels worthwhile.

Solar power will continue to become a bigger ‘force’ in the way we generate energy until it becomes commonplace for every home to have panels. So, contact a solar panel expert today, and start saving money on your electricity bills.


Written by Paul Lee

Found at http://www.greenerideal.com/alternative-energy/solar-energy/0319-why-should-i-install-a-solar-panel/

The motto in Queensland, the third-largest state in Australia with a population of 4.6 million, is, “do the bright thing.” A little hokey, sure, but it captures the state’s aim to become a clean-energy hotspot, mainly with solar power. Pursuit of that ambition is moving forward now with the release of a new Renewable Energy Industry Development Plan, in which the Labor government of Anna Bligh sets goals of enticing $3.5 billion in renewable energy investment and creating 2020 jobs in the sector by 2020.


“The plan outlines 23 initiatives the Bligh Government will undertake over two years to facilitate economic development of Queensland’s renewable energy industry, generate green jobs, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and accelerate deployment of renewable energy projects,” Energy Minister Stephen Robertson said in a statement.

Robertson pegged five key areas of focus for the state: Innovation, renewable energy zones, jobs, regulatory reform and incentives. He said renewable energy developers will be assisted at the state and regional level to identify potential renewable energy project opportunities and, where possible, to access state and federal support programs.

Along those lines, the state just completed the “Queensland Solar Atlas,” which the government says provides a comprehensive and up-to-date map of solar energy resources in the state. With information on electricity and natural gas transmission infrastructure, land and water resources, as well as meteorological information, the map is intended to help to identify the best sites for project development in Queensland.

More information about the Renewable Energy Industry Development Plan is available on the Queensland government website.

By Pete Danko
Excerpt from Earth Techling

Australia has jumped leaps and bounds in its renewable energy path, with over one million Australians living with solar power.

Australia is now on track to generate one-fifth of its energy from renewable sources by 2020, as reported at the United Nation climate change talks that have been taking place in South Africa.

Solar power will play a huge role in Australia’s renewable energy future thanks to large scale solar and residential solar being adopted by more and more Australians. It is estimated that 1.2 million people are using solar power to help fuel their homes and over 500,000 installations have been carried out. While there has been a surge in solar power over the last few years, it is expected to slow since various tariffs have been reduced.

“There will be a slowdown in the short term but the medium and long-term outlook is for very strong growth for household solar systems,” said Clean Energy Council director Kane Thornton.

Homes installed with solar power are set to weather the storm of future power spikes with more ease than non-solar neighbours. The expected hikes in power costs for Queensland, New South Wales and ACT are set to rise 42% over the next three years. South Australia will increase by 36%, Victoria 33%, Western Australia 30%, Tasmania 25% and the Northern Territory by just 16%.

The states with the highest expected price rises additionally have experienced the highest number of solar power installations. While many have already prepared their homes for the price rise there is still time for many, particularly Queenslanders, to make the switch now while receiving high tariff benefits.

Self-storage is often seen as consumerism gone wild: we’ve accumulated so much stuff that we now have to rent extra space to store it. Arguably, a bigger problem is that we buy disposable, single-use items and just toss them out.

Many people choose to use storage while downsizing their living space, or to save items for friends and family to use, which is more green than repeatedly buying disposable items to cycle through and toss out.

Storage facilities are getting into the green game to make their facilities more appealing to consumers, save energy and save money.

While climate-controlled facilities are ideal for patrons who want to protect furniture and other delicate items, many owners are turning to seasonal climate control instead: it doesn’t make sense to cool a unit in winter, so renters can sign up for seasonal agreements and help conserve energy.

The layout of storage facilities makes them ideal for solar energy panels. Green Warrior, a company that specializes in solar panels for mini storage, points out that rooftop solar power makes sense in the dense structure of a storage facility, where units are tightly packed and buildings are simple. (See an example at Cedar Storage in Utah.)

Green Warrior also suggests installing carports on large storage parking lots – the carport roofs make a good space for additional solar panels.

Most storage facilities already use a minimal amount of energy, and installing solar panels could make them entirely self-sufficient. Some solar-enabled sites generate enough surplus power to sell it back to their local energy company. The cost to the consumer to rent at a solar-powered facility is usually the same as a standard facility; if owners offered discounts to renters who used solar-powered units, it’d be win-win.

By Nadine Long
Excerpt from National Geographic

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.

Mr Hetherington says if a power bill is $1,000 a year and it’s paid for with post-tax earnings from BHP dividends today, $47,000 worth of BHP shares would be needed to cover the cost of that bill. However, a 2kW solar power system, costing a fraction of the BHP share value required, would be all that is needed to offer the same financial benefit – and without any other incentives such as solar feed in tariffs taken into account.

Solar power provides an additional financial boost over many investments as the dollar benefits are in savings – which are not taxed. Other forms of investments, such as shares or rental property are taxed; meaning the tax liability should be taken into consideration when performing an apples-to-apples comparison of solar compared to other investments.

Sometimes referred to as the Internet of distributed electricity generation, rooftop solar energy will also play an important role in providing energy security for the nation.

Mr Hetherington points out that on top of the financial benefits, investing in a solar power system will also reduce a retiree’s greenhouse gas emission impact and take load off Australia’s mains grid; an issue becoming more pressing as Australia’s population and hunger for electricity grows.


From Eco-Business.com