Latest Solar News The Australian Greens have proposed upgraded electricity transmission infrastructure across Australia that would see South Australia become a renewable energy exporter. "South Australia has it all - wind, geothermal and solar - and it should be exporting clean energy to the rest of Australia and the world," said Greens leader Senator Brown, who was in Adelaide on Monday. GENEVA — Teams from Australia, Germany and Switzerland have set off from Geneva for what they hope will be the first carbon neutral race around the world. Participants are using custom built two-seater electric vehicles that will be charged from regular power outlets along the way. In a tough economic climate, some UK farmers are creating additional streams of income by installing solar panels. Thanks to a progressive feed-in tariff system, which pays generators of renewable energy like solar and wind power a premium rate for electricity they export to the national grid, landowners in a country more well-known for its dreary weather than its bountiful sunshine are expecting a new cash windfall from their solar farms. There have been reports of farmers swamped by calls from investors looking to profit from the latest cash cow. Feed-in tariffs have been the driving factor in PV solar power uptake around the world according to the USA government's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). In its report entitled "A Policymaker’s Guide to Feed-in Tariff Policy Design", the NREL says in the European Union, feed-in tariffs have led to the deployment of more than 15,000 MW of solar photovoltaic (PV - solar panels) power and over 55,000 MW of wind power between 2000 and the end of 2009. Australian Greens Deputy Leader Senator Christine Milne yesterday announced a policy for $5 billion worth of loan guarantees for large-scale renewable energy developments; to work alongside an enhanced renewable energy target, a grant scheme and a feed-in tariff. Senator Milne stated that through the imitative, Australia can harness its considerable renewable energy resources to replace its reliance on coal with 100% clean energy within decades. A town called Alice: How CPV is springing up in Australia. Located in the arid desert region in the heart of Australia, the small town of Alice Springs, with a population of 28,000 is normally best known as the jump off point for one of Australia's best known natural icons, Uluru (the geological formation formerly known as Ayers Rock). Located about 500 km to the south west (considered a short distance in the vast reaches of the Northern Territory Outback) Uluru attracts some 400,000 visitors per year. Over the last few years though, Alice Springs has been attracting attention for another reason, its development of world-leading expertise in its use of one of the region's other natural and abundant resources – solar energy. Two new solar projects under the State Government’s ‘Do the bright thing’ program will make Fraser Coast one of Australia’s brightest regions. Premier Anna Bligh said $4 million will go to develop the State’s first community solar farm and install solar power on the roofs of Queensland Health facilities in Hervey Bay. Victoria is set to become Australia’s solar state through a plan to increase Victoria’s electricity supply from large scale-solar power to five per cent by 2020, Premier John Brumby said. The Australian Solar Energy Society (AuSES) has welcomed the Victorian Government’s commitment to generate 5% of the State’s electricity from solar power by 2020 and $50m in funding for a 154MW solar project at Mildura. “This announcement by the Victorian Premier, John Brumby, of a feed-in tariff for large scale solar makes Victoria the sun smart State” said John Grimes the CEO of the Australian Solar Energy Society. AUSTRALIA’S renewable energy industry was reeling yesterday after discovering a $520million budget cut to low-emissions technology in the fine print of Julia Gillard’s ‘‘cash-for-clunkers’’ announcement. Ms Gillard said that owners of pre-1995 vehicles will be able to claim $2000 from January 1 next year to upgrade to cleaner cars. Green groups have criticised the Federal Government's decision to pull funding from solar energy schemes in order to pay for its plan to remove old cars from Australia's roads. If re-elected, the Government says it will offer owners of pre-1995 vehicles a $2,000 rebate for upgrading to more fuel efficient cars. JULIA Gillard is to create a Citizens Assembly to forge a national consensus on action on climate change and a commission of experts to help inform its deliberations. The Prime Minister will also today recommit Labor to carbon trading, but pledge that it will be introduced only when "the Australian economy is ready and when the Australian people are ready". This month, the Italian utility Enel unveiled "Archimede", the first Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) plant in the world to use molten salts for heat transfer and storage, and the first to be fully integrated to an existing combined-cycle gas power plant. Archimede is a 5 MW plant located in Priolo Gargallo (Sicily), within Europe's largest petrochemical district. The breakthrough project was co-developed by Enel, one of World's largest utilities, and ENEA, the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development. Solar means business at Keylink Industrial Estate - 22/07/10 The Adelaide Solar City, integrated property group Goodman and MTU Detroit Diesel Australia, will today unveil the first Adelaide Solar City commercial solar photovoltaic (PV) installation. The solar installation at Goodman's Keylink Industrial Estate, Edinburgh is the first commercial installation and the sixth large scale installation for the Adelaide Solar City consortium since 2007. UP TO 10 large-scale solar power plants would be built in regional Victoria under a state government scheme to run a quarter of the state on renewable energy by 2020. Promising to make Victoria the ''solar capital'' of Australia, Premier John Brumby set a target of 5 per cent of the state's electricity coming from large solar plants within 10 years. TOWNS in Australia's tracts of dry and sunny terrain could benefit from a new joint venture from Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and the CSIRO. The organisations are working on developing a solar thermal power plant that uses compressed hot air instead of steam to drive a turbine and generate power. The main advantage of the technology is, unlike current solar thermal plants, it can be used in areas with no water, which are often the sunniest places on the planet. VICTORIA: Today’s announcement by the Brumby Government shows the Premier is serious about solar power in Victoria, according to the clean energy industry. Premier John Brumby announced that five per cent of the state’s electricity would come from solar power by 2020, through incentives encouraging industrial solar power stations and medium-sized commercial installations in places such as the roofs of shopping centres. Washington - Energy ministers from the world's biggest polluters on Tuesday touted the cost-cutting benefits of clean energy as they pledged closer cooperation on boosting renewable alternatives and improving energy efficiency. GENEVA, SWITZERLAND, Jul 19, 2010 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) ----Etrion Corporation ("Etrion" or the "Company") (TSX: ETX), an independent solar power producer, and Phoenix Solar AG ("Phoenix Solar") (ISIN DE000A0BVU93), a leading photovoltaic system integrator listed on the German TecDAX, today announced an agreement to build a 3.5 megawatt ("MW") solar power plant in the Lazio region of Italy. Phoenix Solar will design and construct the plant, and provide operations and maintenance services. Australia’s looking up: a report recently showed how Australia could power itself with 100% solar and wind energy by 2020 using technology that is commercially available right now. However, the federal government reached a deal to keep its renewable energy target at only 20% by 2020, while raising more near-term targets. Australia’s new Prime Minister Julia Gillard has pledged record spending in the renewable energy industry in a national address. Gillard, who was sworn in last month replacing previous Labor Party leader Kevin Rudd, publicly committed to increasing clean energy sources in the country. Australia’s first Smart Home family will move into EnergyAustralia’s Smart Home this week to live rent-free for 12 months while they test new technology including an electric car. Clare Joyce, Michael Adams and their daughter Ava, aged 4½, were chosen from 160 families from as far away as New York and Sweden to live in the Smart Home and write a blog about their experiences. The Beyond Zero Emissions team at the launch of the Zero Carbon Australia 2020 plan. Photo: Trent Hawkins. About 650 people packed into a Melbourne university lecture theatre to see the launch of the Zero Carbon Australia 2020 Stationary Energy Plan on July 14. IN THE 1970s, Germany's Rhine River was considered ''the open sewer of Europe''. Near the Swiss border, schools of salmon or trout could be seen on their backs, poisoned by the pollution. The sight was shocking to Germans and helped bring about a ''collective consciousness'' on environmental issues, according to German parliamentarian Barbel Kofler. ''I believe that is where the environmental movement really started to gather pace. That intensified after the Chernobyl disaster in 1986,'' Kofler said. ''But what has happened as a result of those events and others is that Germany started to become more aware of its environmental footprint. It partly answers your question of why Germany is so far ahead of countries such as Australia in terms of renewable energy and attitudes towards climate change. Germany is one of Europe’s leaders in environmental awareness. But this did not happen overnight as the country was also hit by the disastrous pollution of the Rhine River in the 70s. These and the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident in 1986 opened Germany’s eyes towards the development of clean energy to avoid the ugly environmental impact of unsafe power production. The country is eager to bring this kind of consciousness to the rest of Europe by bringing up issues that concern the impact of energy production on the environment as a whole. In 2009, for the second year in a row, both the US and Europe added more power capacity from renewable sources such as wind and solar than conventional sources like coal, gas and nuclear, according to twin reports launched today by the United Nations Environment Programme and the Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century (REN21). Solar Thermal Power Market Forecast to 2020 - Utilities to Drive Future Developments in the Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) Market. The report provides in-depth analysis of the global solar thermal market and provides forecast estimates up to 2020. The research analyzes the key trends, major issues and growth opportunities in the global solar thermal market. The report contains in depth analysis of the key countries and provides forecast estimates up to 2020. Primary and secondary schools across Australia will have access to funding for solar panels and rainwater tanks from 15 July 2010, under new funding for the National Solar Schools Program. Under the National Solar Schools Program, grants of up to $50,000 ($100,000 for multi-campus schools) are awarded to eligible primary and secondary schools to install solar and other renewable power systems, rainwater tanks and a range of energy efficiency measures. Photovoltaic is a key technology option to accomplish the shift to a decarbonised energy supply. The solar resources in Europe and world wide are abundant and cannot be monopolized by one country. Regardless for what reasons and how fast the oil price and energy prices increase in the future, Photovoltaics and other renewable energies are the only ones to offer a reduction of prices rather than an increase in the future. Solar photovoltaic installations soared globally in the past twelve months, with a record high of 7.2 gigawatts in 2009, bringing the total capacity to over 22 gigawatts worldwide. The newest round of The Australian Solar Institute’s funding, announced on 11 May 2010, provided five of Australia’s solar research projects with grants worth a total of $18.45 million. Canberra can learn some interesting lessons from the experience of Australia’s “Solar Cities”. Solar Cities is a $94 million Australian Government initiative designed to trial new sustainable models for supplying and using electricity. Seven separate electricity grid-connected areas around Australia are participating in the initiative: Householders in NSW are rewarded for all the power put back into the grid but Tasmanians are only rewarded when they put more back into the grid than they have consumed. However, the State Government is considering moves to provide a better system for solar-energy users. PRIME Minister Julia Gillard's refusal to set a carbon price will cost Australian households an extra $2 billion a year in higher electricity prices. That's the damning finding of a major research report by the country's leading economists and power companies. FEDERAL cabinet will clear the path to an election by deciding tomorrow on the government's new climate change policy. However, ministers are likely to resist calls for an interim carbon tax, with some warning it would be politically risky and even "suicide" this close to a poll. Green energy overtook fossil fuels in attracting investment for power generation for the first time last year, according to figures released today by the United Nations. Wind, solar and other clean technologies attracted $140bn (£85bn) compared with $110bn for gas and coal for electrical power generation, with more than a third of the green cash destined for Britain and the rest of Europe. THE State Government will set up a $20 million fund in Thursday's Budget to create South Australia's renewable energy industry. Premier Mike Rann said the fund would act as a "seed fund" for geothermal, windpower and other renewables, and would be overseen by a new board called RenewableSA, to be chaired by Economic Development Board chair Bruce Carter. Unpaid bills and calls for help to charities are both pointing to increasing difficulties for West Australians in paying their electricity bills. The electricity retailer, Synergy, says there has been an $8 million rise in unpaid power bills in the last year. Asia Pacific photovoltaic markets are poised to make a significant contribution to global photovoltaic (PV) market growth in 2010 following improvements in the policy environment in most of the key countries in this region, according to market research firm Solarbuzz. Asia-Pacific PV markets are poised to make a significant contribution to global PV market growth in 2010 following improvements in the policy environment in most of the key countries in the region, according to research firm Solarbuzz. Prototype: the aircraft charged its batteries during 14 hours of daytime flight (AFP: Denis Balibouse) A solar powered aircraft masterminded by a Swiss adventurer has made history as the first manned plane to fly around the clock on the sun's energy, bringing a step closer the dream of perpetual flight. The gradual decline of the Government's Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS), touted by former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd as the remedy to the "greatest moral challenge of our age", has given a new lease on life to Australia's renewable energy sector. This article takes a look at how the Government's Budget is redirecting money into renewable energy, and introduces some of the projects that are benefiting from the Government's shift in focus. Australia's government has passed amendments to the Renewable Energy Target that are expected to create greater investment certainty for large-scale renewable projects such as wind farms, and will ensure support to households for small-scale renewables remains well targeted. New Zealanders are bracing for higher electricity and fuel prices with the introduction of an emissions trading scheme (ETS). From today New Zealanders will pay around three cents a litre more for fuel. DETERMINED TO SNATCH THE title of most sustainable community in Australia, the people of quaint northern NSW town Nimbin have been hard at work planning and installing a 45 kW solar farm which will bring them one step closer to their goal. It has been estimated the project, combined with the residential uptake of grid-feed solar systems and the many existing stand-alone systems in Nimbin will generate up to 75 per cent of the town's residential power needs. CRITICS often gush about her star power, but it was solar power on the mind of the Australian actress, Cate Blanchett. She joined her husband and fellow Sydney Theatre Company artistic director, Andrew Upton, on the roof of the Walsh Bay theatre yesterday to mark the start of work on the company's solar power scheme. The Zero Carbon Australia 2020 plan shows that it is technically feasible and affordable to replace all fossil fuel electricity with 100% renewable energy given the willpower and commitment to do so. Renewable sources could provide all of Australia’s energy by 2020, says a new report. That compares with Canberra’s aim for 20 percent of the nation’s power to come from renewable sources by 2020. The report, launched Tuesday by climate change campaign group Zero Carbon Australia, provides a detailed blueprint for transitioning Australia’s stationary energy sector to 100 percent renewable energy sources within a decade. Australia moved on Tuesday to give clean energy investors greater certainty over investment returns as part of efforts to have a revised renewable energy scheme approved by parliament. In August 2009, the Government implemented the Renewable Energy Target (RET) Scheme, which is designed to deliver on the Government’s commitment to ensure that 20 per cent of Australia’s electricity supply will come from renewable sources by 2020. In ten years time the amount of electricity coming from sources like solar, wind and geothermal will be around the same as all of Australia’s current household electricity use. A MASSIVE introduction of solar-thermal power plants and wind farms would allow Australia to generate all its energy needs from renewable technologies by 2020, research shows. Last month we reported that residential electricity rates were on the rise after a recent decline. The latest numbers out from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) confirms that this upward trend is continuing. The Western Australian Feed-in Tariff scheme commences from 1 August 2010. Asia could account for a quarter of global solar capacity in five years, possibly overtaking the United States, if the region's policy makers continue to enact measures supporting solar use. For the last few years, much of the innovation around solar technology has been aimed at generating more electricity from sunlight. But a new crop of entrepreneurs is working to use the sun more efficiently by using its heat, as well as its light, for individual business, factories and, perhaps one day, even homes. These companies say that providing both electricity and heat reduces the amount of time it takes customers to recoup their investments. "It's a single system that provides the greatest impact on a homeowner's energy bill," says Sam Weaver, CEO of heat and power solar startup Cool Energy. In Australia and New Zealand, solar photovoltaic (PV) market trends indicate burgeoning demand owing to strong governmental commitment to the promotion of solar energy and creation of sustainable cities. Japan's kite-shaped "space yacht" has successfully started sailing through space using solar-power generation. London, Jun 15, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Mercator Gold plc ("Mercator Gold", "Mercator" or "the Company") (Pink Sheets :MTGDY) /quotes/comstock/23s!e:mcr (UK:MCR 0.93, +0.05, +5.71%) is pleased to announce that it has entered into a partnership with Remote Energy Solutions, LLC ("RES"), an established renewable energy developer, in relation to the Warm Springs solar power project ("the Warm Springs project") in New Mexico, USA. The Warm Springs project is being developed in close proximity to the Copper Flat copper-gold-molybdenum-silver project ("Copper Flat") by Mercator's subsidiary Warm Springs Renewable Energy Corporation ("WSREC"). SOME households wanting to install solar panels would miss out on assistance if there is a capping of household renewable power that can be credited under the renewable energy target, the government says. Darwin and Brisbane have been ranked as the country's most sustainable capitals while Perth is the least sustainable in an assessment of the carbon footprint of Australia's 20 largest cities. Perth has been ranked the least sustainable city in an assessment of the carbon footprint of Australia's 20 largest cities. The Australian government has awarded AUS$47.3m ($40.7m) in funding to Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) for the development of solar and geothermal energy technologies to power a radio-astronomy observatory and its supporting computer centre. According to a new report ‘Technology Roadmap: Concentrating Solar Power’. from the International Energy Agency (IEA) Australia could satisfy 40% of its electricity from concentrating solar power in 2050. This three-day seminar will focus on innovation, strategy and investment for the energy, utilities and power industries of Australia. The event will include 40 of the most influential utility leaders, as well as world experts who will collaborate and discuss plans for the future. For one day of the event, the focus will revolve around electric vehicles, including discussions of the development and the future of electric vehicles. Energy, automotive and infrastructure experts will be discussing the details. Another day of the event will revolve around smart grid, smart electricity, utilities and other important energy talks. Guests will have the opportunity to network, attend workshops and listen to keynote-speaker presentations. South Korea’s attempt to jump into the space race met with disaster today. A little more than two minutes after takeoff today, the nation’s Naro rocket exploded. It had been carrying a satellite, and South Korea was vying to become the tenth country to put a satellite in orbit with rockets assembled at home. The Rudd Government will invest $47.3 million in Western Australian to ensure solar energy and the nation’s largest direct heat geothermal facility power Australia’s bid to host the world’s strongest radio telescope. Imagine sitting back and letting the sun do all the work for you while earning at least $1200, and up to $8000, a year for as long as you own your house. A Switzerland-based chemist who invented solar cells that mimic photosynthesis is the winner of a million-dollar technology prize announced Wednesday. Michael Gratzel invented low-cost solar cells that can be turned into electricity-generating windows, mobile solar panels and other devices. You have probably heard it said by environmental groups that we should switch to solar energy as a power source because it is free, there is an unlimited supply, and it is a cleaner source of electrical power because there are no by-products (compared to fossil fuels like oil and gas which release greenhouse gases into the earth’s atmosphere when burned for power.) However, can solar energy be a reliable and practical source of electrical power indeed? Element Power has secured €18.5 million for its 3.51MW PV solar project in Alicante, Spain, which began operations in August 2008. Built by Siliken Energy and utilizing Siliken crystalline modules, the solar project generates clean renewable power under the Feed In Tariff governed by Spain’s 2007 Royal Decree 661. Element Power is backed by a $1 billion private equity fund established by Hudson Clean Energy. CAMPAIGNERS could be seen around the lower North Shore on Saturday calling for the government to use more renewable energy sources. The Climate Action North Sydney (CLAN) event was part of a national call to governments for a commitment to the development and use of renewable energy sources. According to a new report ‘Technology Roadmap: Concentrating Solar Power’. from the International Energy Agency (IEA) Australia could satisfy 40% of its electricity from concentrating solar power in 2050. Newcastle, in the state of New South Wales, will be the first Australian city to move onto a smart grid in what the government says could be a nationwide change. SHANGHAI -- Robert Dane, then working as a country doctor in Australia, was watching a race of solar-powered vessels in Sydney Harbor in 1997 when one of them ran into difficulty due to strong winds. "I thought, 'How could you make a solar boat and a (wind-powered) sailing boat that's also seaworthy?'" The U.S. economy is in trouble. Disappointing employment growth figures show that mass unemployment may be with us for some time. The stimulus spending in the U.S. was far too small and depended too much on tax cuts. State budget crises that result primarily from the Wall Street-created global crash, not statehouse mistakes, may yet cripple the economy, as the effect of federal stimulus spending wears off. GREEN energy is tipped to provide an assured income and bolster cropping and livestock production for Riverina farmers Maurice and Kim Walsh. Dubai Solar power developers from Japan are keen for feed-in tariffs to be introduced in the UAE to encourage the adoption of renewable energy sources and to help accelerate the move toward grid parity where solar energy may be able to cost-effectively compete with fossil fuels. Global energy demand – and C02 emissions – is expected to double by the middle of the century as a result of rising population and per-capita consumption. The promises that lead to the victory of Rudd ALP government on climate change have not yet been concretized. There hasn’t been any action taken against the greenhouse gas emission in Australia. The worse aspect is that emissions are continuing to rise higher. London The PV sector has seen its share of market turbulence over the past years with the impacts of the global downturn, the over-supplied silicon market and the impact of revisions to feed-in tariffs all taking their toll. However, despite this, the sector appears to have emerged relatively unscathed. David Appleyard reports. Western Australian mining company Galaxy Minerals will be the first in Australia to use solar tracking technology to generate energy. The world will install 107 GW of green power by 2035, up from 44 GW in 2007. The global installed capacity of green and renewable power by 2015 will be 62 GW, notes the International Energy Outlook 2010 released by the US Department of Energy (DoE). By 2020, it will be 70 GW and 91 GW by 2030. - 31/05/10 SunEdison has reached agreement with Weingarten Realty Investors , a real estate investment trust, for the deployment of up to 10 MW of PV solar power plants in Arizona and New Mexico. The Western Australian Government roll out of a feed-in-tariff on renewable energy generation for homeowners is welcomed by the WA Sustainable Energy Association Inc. (WA SEA). Energy Minister Peter Collier today provided more detail of how a $23 million WA Budget commitment been provided to introduce a residential net feed-in tariff to sell surplus electricity from grid-connected renewable energy systems including photovoltaic, wind and water systems. In just over ten years' time, it could be cheaper to put a solar panel on your roof than to buy electricity from the grid. Not only that, but solar power could produce enough electricity to meet one-quarter of global demand by 2050, according to a new road map published by the International Energy Agency (IEA). Australia lags behind in renewable energy investment despite having “world class” renewable energy resources, a new study indicates. The “Renewable Energy Investment Opportunities and Abatement in Australia” study by Bloomberg New Energy Finance, commissioned by The Climate Institute and Westpac, predicts record investment globally in renewable energy for 2010. Cloncurry, a town of over 4000 people in north-west Australia, is gearing up to produce solar thermal power capable of supplying all of ts electricity needs, 24-hours a day. Sustainable energy campaigners say now is the time to start switching Australia over to renewable power plants. The campaign group, Beyond Zero Emissions, argues that the technology is already available to make the change. The Western Australian Government commitment to implement a feed-in-tariff on renewable energy generation for homeowners is welcomed by the WA Sustainable Energy Association Inc. (WA SEA). (WA SEA). However, the absence of any notable commitment to energy efficiency that would have assisted households and businesses reduce energy bills in response to increased energy costs is a disappointing omission. Global leader in equipment and services for power generation, Asltom, on Saturday announced joining hands with BrightSource Energy Inc. with an investment of $55 million to enter the high-growth solar energy market. Having laid to rest its CPRS for the time being, the Rudd government is pointing to the $652.5 million Renewable Energy Future Fund announced in last week’s budget – part of a larger $5.1 billion Clean Energy Initiative – to bolster its green credentials. One of Australia's most respected infrastructure experts has accused the state government of "wimping out" over power price rises. An exciting campaign calling for 100 per cent Renewable Energy was launched in communities across Australia including Ararat. The Australian Government has announced eight projects that will be invited to participate in the second stage of assessment for Round One of the $1.5 billion Solar Flagships Program. IF Coffs Harbour City Council could gain access to the 60c per kilowatt hour feed-in tariff available to householders and small businesses, it would look seriously at expanding its use of solar power, Jeff Green said yesterday. In June, the Westin Hotel in Westminster, Colorado will be the latest hotel to install solar panels, according to TravelWeekly.com. The effort was part of a $9 million renovation that included a series of green upgrades to its energy and water system. ONE of Australia’s largest public rooftop solar power projects – the conversion of Coffs Harbour’s Rigby House – has reached the midway point with half the building’s roof now covered in solar panels. Environmentally conscious pensioners will no longer have pensions docked for earning credit on an electricity bill if they generate power from solar panels. The Australian government has announced an additional A$652m ($583m) fund for renewable energy development in an effort to capitalize on the country's renewable resources. Whyalla is set to become Australia's first Solar City following the Federal Government's commitment of $60 million to the Whyalla Solar Oasis project. The Sunshine State has emerged in poll position to secure clean energy investment and jobs from a federal program to build two large-scale power plants that harness the sun. A consortium including Leighton subsidiary (LEI), Thiess, a market leader in critical infrastructure construction and utility services and Silex Systems Ltd (SLX), an ASX listed company with world-class expertise and capability in solar technology, today publicly confirmed its interest in constructing the nation’s first solar photovoltaic (PV) power station as part of the Commonwealth’s Solar Flagship Program. Sydney is making the first moves to ending its reliance on centralized energy. It is putting into place a network of tri-generation plants that will eliminate the need for council buildings to rely on coal-fired power generation and could, ultimately, take the entire city off grid. Frustrated by the Rudd Government’s inaction on climate change, a broad coalition of prominent Australians and organisations representing hundreds of thousands of people have signed an open letter calling for the government to massively increase renewable energy investment in tomorrow’s federal budget. The State Government has announced increases to the State’s electricity retail tariffs from April 2010. The Home Plan (A1) tariff rates will increase by 7.5% from April 2010, followed by a further 10% increase from July 2010. The Liberal-National Government has supported funding applications of eight Western Australian ventures which are vying to become National Flagship Solar Energy Projects. HOUSEHOLDS across Australia face steadily rising power bills, despite Kevin Rudd's backflip on the emissions trading scheme. Energy industry players yesterday named decaying infrastructure, rising demand, a growing population and the cost of renewable energy as key factors pushing up the price of electricity. | 
