I recently received an email from an extremely happy customer, ecstatic that their 2.09kW Tian Wei/Growatt system was actually producing 2.230kW; the equivalent of having an extra panel! This is actually not as uncommon as you would think. When the system is facing North, perfectly angled at 30° and has great compatibility between the panels and inverter, the system output can be exceeded by up to 10%! I am not saying that every system will perform like this, I just want to point out that the compatibility between the inverter and the panels can result in improved performance.

We have noticed several other 2-3kW systems using Tian Wei panels and a Growatt inverter also producing over and above their rated output when the property has allowed for optimal orientation and pitch. Based on these results, I can safely say that these two brands are an excellent choice for your solar energy solution.

Call Driftwind Electrical today on (07)3274 4365 to find out more! 

A total of 784 schools have each been awarded grants of up to $50 000 under the  2011-12 national solar schools program, Parliamentary Secretary for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, Mark Dreyfus said today.

The funds will help save and generate energy, as well as use water more wisely by installing solar and other renewable power systems, rainwater tanks and a range of energy efficiency measures.

The program gave school children the opportunity to see energy generation and learn the importance of water and energy conservation first hand, Mr Dreyfus said. So far 3800 schools across Australia have been awarded grants under the program.

“The combination of renewable energy systems installed under this program will generate approximately 20 megawatts of solar power – the equivalent of powering around 4,200 average households each day,” he said.

Applications for the 2012-13 program’s final round will open on 13 February, 2012.

Visit the Australian Government website for further information

Read more at http://www.thefifthestate.com.au/archives/31185  

SAN JOSE, Calif., Nov. 29, 2011 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- SunPower Corp. (NASDAQ: SPWR), today announced that it has delivered 12,000 high-efficiency SunPower™ E19 / 320 solar panels to La Compagnie du Vent, a subsidiary of French utility giant GDF SUEZ Group.  Estimated for completion in the summer of 2012, the 3.8-megawatt dc (MW) power plant will be La Compagnie du Vent's largest ground-mounted photovoltaic (PV) installation to date. The solar power plant is expected to generate approximately 6,270,000 kilowatt-hours of power each year, which represents the electricity consumption of approximately 3,500 persons and, according to RTE 2011, carbon offset of approximately 5,000 tons per year.

"SunPower is delighted to partner with La Compagnie du Vent to provide them our high-efficiency solar panels, the most reliable on the market today," said Howard Wenger, SunPower president, regions. "We are confident that, with SunPower's proven performance, La Compagnie du Vent will experience exceptional energy output and achieve robust return on investment over the 25-year minimum life of the solar panels."

"La Compagnie du Vent, GDF SUEZ Group has followed SunPower and its unrivalled high efficiency PV technology for the past several years," said Gilles Leandro, La Compagnie du Vent's PV development director. "We are impressed with the company's highest efficiency solar panels, which maximize capacity on space-constrained areas; a key driver for our choice of this PV technology."

French pioneer of wind energy, La Compagnie du Vent, is considered a major player in renewable energy due to its diversification in the production of solar electricity.  Today, wind farms and PV power plants in operation and under construction by La Compagnie du Vent represent a total of approximately 280 MW dc.

About SunPower

SunPower Corp. (NASDAQ: SPWR) designs, manufactures and delivers the highest efficiency, highest reliability solar panels and systems available today.  Residential, business, government and utility customers rely on the company's quarter century of experience and guaranteed performance to provide maximum return on investment throughout the life of the solar system.  Headquartered in San Jose, Calif., SunPower has offices in North America, Europe, Australia and Asia. For more information, visit www.sunpowercorp.com.

SOURCE SunPower Corp.

LOWER government subsidies may be causing people to hesitate about investing in solar power, but energy groups say with summer electricity bills likely to cause some nasty shocks, solar is still a smart purchase.

Australian Solar Energy Society chief executive John Grimes says a huge fall in solar panel prices and rising electricity prices mean there has "never been a better time to buy" solar panels.

"In the past 18 months prices have dropped by about 80 per cent," Grimes says.

"There has been a winding back of government support but, even taking that into account, if you were to put in a metered system today it would be cheaper than it was, even with the higher level of government support in the past."

He says with ageing electricity infrastructure requiring government investment in the order of $140 billion, there will continue to be upward pressure on electricity prices "well past 2020".

Solar panels can vary widely in price. An Origin 2kW solar system installed in a capital city on a single-storey building starts at about $6740, while a 3.4kW system starts at $13,490.

Grimes says the average system currently being installed is about 2kW, but to supply all the electrical needs for the average family would require a 3.5-4kW system.

"If people have the funds and want to make a longer-term investment it's a pretty smart thing to do," he says.

Origin energy efficiency advocate Anne Armansin says buying solar panels means consumers are "avoiding the cost of imported energy".

"The cells you get today are going to be of benefit to you for at least 20 years and everything you generate means power you're not going to have to buy from the grid," she says.

"The potential benefits of getting a solar system far outweigh the initial dollar outlay."Richard Turner, chief executive of ZEN Home Energy Systems, says with electricity prices forecast to rise as much as 40 per cent over the next two years, the payback period for an investment in solar panels will decrease.

But he says consumers should be careful when making what is a major purchase.

"There are a wide range of solar systems currently being advertised to Australian households but there are wide variations in the quality of the product and the experience of the various companies and installers," Turner says.

"Consumers should make sure they shop around and get an understanding of exactly what they are getting before committing to a purchase.

"Solar panels are a long-term investment and buying a cheap system or one that is not suited to your house may not deliver the savings or performance you anticipated."

Read more: http://www.news.com.au/money/cost-of-living/solar-switch-is-still-worth-flicking/story-fnagkbpv-1226250949150#ixzz1kQ7SgQ76 

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