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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Solar Power
Solar power is becoming more and more accessible for home use, both in terms of individual appliances (everything from garden lights to hot water systems) and in terms of whole of house electricity solutions, by way of a full rooftop solar panel installation.
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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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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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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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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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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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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Solar Pool Covers: A Cheaper & More Energy Efficient Alternative to Pool Heaters
Forget pool heaters. If you’re looking for a cheaper way to warm your swimming pool when the temperature goes down, you might want to consider investing in a solar pool cover. Solar pool covers makes use of the natural heat from the sun and work to absorb, trap, and transfer this heat to your...
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Guest Editorial: Focus On Solar Energy
With all the talk of conventional energy being on the way out and the world needing to find sustainable alternatives, let’s focus on solar energy. Solar energy is basically gathering the energy found in sunlight and turning it into electrical energy. It is a cheap and effective way of generating power which does not...
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GuestPost: Even the Best Solar Lights Are Not Always Enough
Solar power has made its way into our homes in many ways. If you are considering it for lighting purposes in your yard or garden, or on your patio, it’s important to understand that even the best solar lights won’t always be able to do the job. Solar lights use batteries that are charged...
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GuestPost: Looking At The Best Home Solar Panels
One of the most important benefits of solar panels is to provide electricity in areas that are “off-grid”. This is a term used in regard to a residence that is not serviced by an electric company because it is too remote and it simply doesn’t pay them to have the electric service run to...
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Guestpost: A Solar Decking Light Can Save You Money
Everyone loves a backyard barbecue. And if you want that BBQ to kick on into the night, some kind of outdoor light is in order to keep a barbecue party ongoing until after sunset. Now you can use solar powered LED garden lights to light your parties, and have them come on automatically as...
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Easy ways to save money on electricity
Of course you can save money on electricity by going solar. But increasingly people are realising that you don’t always need to spend money to be green. In fact, what better way to be green than by consuming less? And even if you are looking to install solar panels on your roof soon, the...
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Installing Residential Solar Power Systems
(This article updated in May 2012) It is is becoming more and more cost effective to install solar power in homes, around the world. This is not only because of the reduction in costs associated with building a rooftop solar power system (costs of PV solar panels dropped by around 50% in 2011 alone),...
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Using domestic solar power
There are a three different kinds of domestic solar power: there’s the solar energy that powers the electrical appliances you plug into the wall (and sometimes feeds back into the grid and actually makes you money!), there are individual solar powered appliances, such as solar powered LED lights, and there’s the ‘passive’ kind of...
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Why use LED garden lights?
LED garden lights come in all sorts of designs from novelty to serious landscape lighting. They can be used for general landscape lighting or to highlight particular areas of your garden – perhaps a path, a deck or patio area, or even for patio umbrella lights, or along a flight of stairs. Why use...
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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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