In October 2011, SolarWorld and 6 other US manufacturing companies lodged a petition claiming that the dumping of cheap Chinese solar panels onto the market was unfair and prevented them from competing in the manufacture of solar panels. Preliminary investigations suggest that the Chinese government has been providing subsidies to their solar industry to...
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Eco Friendly Energy
US Places Tariffs on Chinese Solar Panels
Solar Power Costs Halved and Other Renewables News
The price of solar panels fell by almost 50% over 2011, contributing to a boom year for the solar industry – also contributing of course were deadlines for various solar grants and subsidy programs both here in Australia and over seas. What this means for homeowners of course, is that even if they have...
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US to Fund New Technologies for Off-Shore Wind Energy
US Energy Secretary Steven Chu has announced a six-year, US$180 million initiative to capture wind energy off American coasts, with an initial US$20 million available this year to start up to four offshore wind energy installations. In choosing projects for this new funding, the Energy Department will be looking for “highly innovative technologies that...
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Three Reasons Solar Systems Are Worth the Cost in the US
Many homeowners in the US are interested in solar power systems for their homes but are unsure if they are worth the upfront investment. The rising cost of electricity has sent a lot of people looking for alternative solutions, and solar energy is usually among the top alternatives that are considered. One problem people...
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China the world leader in renewables; wind most mature renewable energy: UN report
In 2010 China was the world leader in investment in renewable energy technology according to the UN’s Global Trends in Renewable Energy Investment 2011. Globally investment was up almost one third in 2010 over 2009, at a record US$211 billion, and for the first time developing economies put more into ”financial new investment” than developed ones. Global...
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The Benefits and Limitations of Modern Wind Turbines
We’ve recently had articles on a ground source heat pump and on other alternative energy sources. Now here’s a guest post of the benefits of wind power. Wind energy is the process where wind turbines are converting kinetic energy from the wind into mechanical energy, which again is converted into electricity by a generator....
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Australia Leads the Way With Eco-Friendly Electric Car Network
The world’s first mass market, zero emmission car will arrive in Australia in 2012, while the world’s largest electric car charge network will give the car the same range as petrol cars. Beginning with the ACT in the second quarter of 2012, Better Place will be rolling out its network which will include both...
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Alternative Energy Sources: Looking at the Three Viable Alternatives to Solar Power
When it comes to looking for alternative energy sources, there are really three viable alternatives to solar energy. They are wind, geothermal and tidal energy. So let’s take a look at each of them. Wind Power Wind energy really is another form of solar energy, since wind is produced when warm air and cool...
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Renault Launches Solar Project That Could Support a Town of 15,000
Renault, partnering with Gestamp Solar, has launched the global automotive industry’s most ambitious solar project. They are installing enough solar roof panels on their French plants to reduce CO2 emissions by 30,000 tonnes a year. The project’s power capacity will be by 60MW – enough to power a town of 15,000 for a full...
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Australians Turn Out in Thousands to Say Yes to Climate Action
An estimated 45,000 people attended rallies in support of “climate action”, saying Yes to a price on carbon, around Australia on Sunday. Rallies were held in most capital cities. It was frigid in Canberra with temperatures around 10°C and wind gusts up to 45km/hr, but thousands marched up to Parliament House to tell politicians...
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GuestPost: Choosing a Programmable Thermostat that is right for your home
If you are serious about making green interior design modifications to your home then one of the first things you will contemplate doing is installing one or more programmable thermostats in your home. Energy efficiency is a big part of being green nowadays – it reduces the amount of non-renewable resources used and cuts...
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Weighing the Advantages and Disadvantages of Solar Power
(This article updated March 2012) There are not too many people who really want to go back to with living without our modern appliances like stoves, fridges or air conditioners. The problem is that we need to figure out a way for powering our homes without destroying our world around us. Many are considering...
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Eco Heating Doesn’t Have to be Solar: the Ground-Source Heat Pump
There is more than one way to heat your house and water with renewable energy. Using solar energy to power your home is of course one way. But another option is to use a ground-source heat pump (GSHP) (also called a geothermal heat pump* or ground heat pump). This still uses electricity to power...
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Eighty Percent Global Energy Supply Could Be Renewables: UN
A new UN report shows that nearly 80% of our global energy needs could be supplied by renewablesby 2050 if backed by the necessary government policies. The report, released by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on May 9, reviewed six renewable energy technologies: bioenergy, solar, power, geothermal power, hydropower, ocean energy, and...
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Solar Protest Action in Australia
Members of the solar sector in Australia have pronounced the 2011 Federal Budget, released last week, as “disappointing”. But Australian’s aren’t taking disappointment lying down. The Solar Last Chance Rally today is a response to the NSW Government permanently closing down their Solar Bonus Scheme (notably started by the previous government), and announcing last...
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Solar Power Boosts Home Values
A recent study in California found that having a rooftop solar power system installed significantly increased the value of homes. No surprise right? But the interesting thing was that the sale value of the homes with solar power increased by about the cost of installing the system – even though the original home owner...
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Understanding How Solar Panels Work – Off-Grid and Grid-tied Systems
![Renewable Energy "Guru": A Beginner's Guide to Solar Panels [Kindle Edition] by Alan MacKay](http://sustainablesuburbia.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/beginnersguide-how-solar-energy-works-140x140.jpg "beginnersguide-how-solar-energy-works")
All solar powered systems work with the same solar panels. These solar panels consist of PV cells and that is why they are also called PV panels. PV cells are photo (light) voltaic (electricity) silicone cells that transform sun light into electricity. It is much easier and less expensive to install solar panels when...
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Solar lights – a good option for your garden
Many environmentally conscious homeowners are using solar lights to add lighting to their home’s exterior. Not only does using solar lights lessen your home’s carbon footprint and help conserve the environment, it will also save you money since you aren’t using any of your electricity to power them. One of the best things about...
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The Latest Low Energy LED Spotlights
Although you may have noticed CFL (compact fluorescent lamp) light bulbs usurping the conventional incandescent light bulb in stores, until recently there has been next to nothing in the way of low energy replacements for the good old halogen spot lamp. CFLs cannot be made compact enough to retrofit existing lamps (which are often...
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Using DIY Solar Panels: Advantages and Disadvantages
Apart from the conscious effort to reduce our carbon footprint, one major factor that has convinced a lot of homeowners to install “do it yourself solar panels” is the rising cost of electricity bills. But before we go into the advantages and disadvantages of making your own solar panels (or using DIY kits), we...
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Interesting Stories from Round the Globe
- Community Canning and Food Security - Interesting interview with Dr Tony Webb, senior lecturer in Supply... http://t.co/peHfqOiK
- RT @WWF_Australia: There are only around 1,600 giant pandas left in the wild! They need your help! http://t.co/UrN6HILY #conservation
- RT @americablog: Romney, who bullied a gay kid in prep school, abolished anti-bullying commission as governor http://t.co/OKVRRjFD
- [new post] How to Build a Vertical Garden Wall Using Recycled Wooden Pallets | Sustainable Suburbia: http://t.co/0aHVqzQl
- Green week 2012 — May 22-25. Theme for this year is 'water': http://t.co/Trd5CeAZ via @agriculturesnet
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