Solar Trust Centre | Solar and Renewable Energy News

This week in solar: Solar Coffee, and Hospitals move to Renewables

Written by Solar Trust Centre Team | Feb 10, 2020 9:00:14 AM

1. Electricity prices are tumbling for generators, why not for consumers?

It has a lot to do with the slow transmission of pricing signals to the households through annual regulated price reviews, as well as the factors framing a power bill.

2. City of Adelaide commits to 100% renewable electricity

The deal will see all corporate and community buildings, council event infrastructure, electric vehicle chargers, barbecues in the Park Lands, water pumps, street lighting, and traffic lights – everything that the Council operates -powered by renewable electricity.

3. Solar farms asked to reduce output as uptake challenges remote West Murray power grid stability

The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) says the scale and pace of solar and wind generators being connected in remote areas of the national grid is “presenting unprecedented technical issues” affecting the grid’s performance and operational stability.

4. Victorian hospitals continue to make the move to solar energy

Australian hospitals have continuously made positive decisions to cut down on electricity costs and influence their carbon footprint.

5. Ona Coffee roasting in 100% solar

Ona Coffee, founded by former World Barista Champion Sasa Sestic, has made the switch to 100% solar at both its roastery and its head office. The solar PV installation, made gradually throughout 2019, is part of the company’s long-term plan to reduce its carbon footprint and become more sustainable.

6. Could solar panels work at night?

By letting heat drip out of thermal cells at night, which is drawn out by the cold black sky, scientists may just be able to capture energy going out of Earth, just like we’ve been capturing the rays that come into Earth.

7. How machine learning could advance solar power technology

Researchers at New York University, Stanford University and some members from NREL (based in Colorado) are setting their sights on using machine learning to create thin-film, organic solar panels.

8. German coal mines could play host to as much as 56GW of floating solar

German research institute Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (Fraunhofer ISE) has calculated Germany’s lignite open-cast ponds could host as much as a technical capacity of 56 GW of floating solar PV, but a more realistic economic potential of 2.74 GW.