US: 200,000 GW of solar could be installed; 4,000 TWh/a

US: 200,000 GW of solar could be installed; 4,000 TWh/a:
According to a new study released by NREL, the technical potential of photovoltaics and concentrating solar power (CSP) in the U.S. amounts to just under 200,000 GW, which could generate around 399,700 TWh of energy annually.
This is huge! I can't wait to see proper action arising from this as it most likely would see those states following that always follow and/or don't have the guts to lead themselves.
But then again there are those vested interests from the gas fracking league and Tea Party people (same in Australia under different names IMHO) who will find all kinds of excuses to not engage on the sustainable path. Well, even they will (sometimes) learn as was published only recently when a climate change denier made a remarkable and complete U-turn.
The report btw makes for easy and quick reading, straight to the point and heaps of graphs and tables.

Solar PV capacity overtakes wind energy in Germany

Solar PV capacity overtakes wind energy in Germany - reneweconomy.com.au : Renew Economy


The theory was know all along, now the stats of real-life and large scale installations prove it:
Wind and solar complement each other very nicely:

Germany has installed both Wind and Solar in the order of 32 Giga Watt peak capacity, delivering in the order of 6-7 Tera Watt hours a month, at times (obviously great weather conditions needed) delivering more power than the conventional methods do!

Imagine the future, this is just the beginning!

Read the full story to learn more.

Port Augusta backs solar thermal power

Port Augusta backs solar thermal power - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Port Augusta residents have voted overwhelmingly to support solar thermal power to replace the city's coal power stations.

A community vote has seen 3,500 people vote for either gas or solar thermal.

A total of 98 per cent have chosen solar thermal.

The vote was organised by the Re-power Port Augusta group, with Daniel Spencer from the group saying the current operators Alinta Energy also support the change.

Read the full article

The final outcome in actual vote numbers is posted on Facebook by the 100% Renewable group.

Solar thermal plan for coal-fired power stations - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Solar thermal plan for coal-fired power stations

This is great news:

Energy company Alinta has told business representatives at Port Augusta in South Australia of a plan to convert its two coal-fired power stations to solar thermal technology.

What we don't know is the real and true reason why this gas-producer giant is betting on solar rather than their "own product".  ABC assume that "They envisage the gas price will rise sharply within the next few years and make gas more of an expensive option."

Whatever it might be, the outcome is great and lets us hope this to be the first in a long row of correct decisions in this respect!

Solar displaces wind | Renew Economy

Solar displaces wind | Renew Economy:
The start of construction on the massive 1,000 megawatt Silverton wind farm near Broken Hill will be pushed back two years  to make way for the 159MW solar farm to be built under the Solar Flagships program.
'via Blog this'

119 One-Liners to Respond to Climate Science Myths | Planetsave

119 One-Liners to Respond to Climate Science Myths | Planetsave

Climate science expert, physicist, and highly respected blogger John Cook of SkepticalScience.com spends much of his time creating long, detailed, scientific rebuttals to climate change disinformers.

For detailed debunkings of hundreds of climate change disinformer myths, you can surf his website for hours. But for all of us who do not spend so much time debating with disinformers and do not have such deep knowledge of climate science, or who just need a short (science-backed) one-liner time and again to refute a climate science myth, one of his readers — Dr. Jan Dash, an ex-theoretical physicist and Director of the Climate Initiative of the Unitarian Universalist United Nations Office — helped him to create a list of 119 one-liners to use in such circumstances, with links to more detailed, scientific arguments.

By the way, you can also get these on the skeptical science apps for the iPhone, Android, or Nokia.

Read the full story on Planetsave.com

Infographics on Solar Power - CleanTechnica

Infographics on Solar Power - CleanTechnica

Just found a great website with great infographics and extra info on solar. Did you know:

1. The U.S. solar energy industry now employs over 100,000 people (more than the coal or steel industry, to put that into perspective).
2. The U.S. solar energy industry is the fastest-growing industry in the U.S. It is creating jobs 10 times faster than the U.S. economy as a whole).
3. Over 5,000 businesses (mostly small businesses) support the solar industry in the U.S., creating jobs for Americans in every state.
4. Solar PV installations have grown about 69% in the past year (that’s 40 times faster than the U.S. economy as a whole).
5. The U.S. solar energy industry is a net exporter, by $2 billion/year, and is even a net exporter to China (how many industries can claim that?).
6. 9 out of 10 Americans think we should be developing and using more solar power.
7. The utility-scale solar market has grown 171% in the past year or so.

Solar is expected to continue booming. In the U.S., it might even double each year up to 2020 (under the right policy scenario):

Hoping for similar numbers in Australia!

The Global PV Manufacturing Landscape in 2012 and Beyond: A Brave New World : Greentech Media

The Global PV Manufacturing Landscape in 2012 and Beyond: A Brave New World : Greentech Media


An excerpt from GTM Research’s latest report on the volatile global PV supply landscape.

SHYAM MEHTA: JULY 3, 2012
The following is an excerpt from the introduction to GTM Research's recently published report, titled PV Technology, Production and Cost: 2012-2016 Outlook. For more information on the report, click  here.

For whoever is interested in Solar PV price tendencies, this is a great source of info: GTM

Just one graph as an example:

Have fun reading!

Falling demand delays power line - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Falling demand delays power line - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
"Lower electricity usage and the proliferation of solar power are among the factors behind a decision to delay work on a major new electricity line."
Sounds like Solar PV is finally showing an impact on areas greater than just residential properties!