Planned changes to feedin tariff scrapped

Threat passes: Planned changes to the 60c feedin tariff enjoyed by older installations have been scrapped.  Householders that had borrowed money to install the systems welcomed the government decision to honour existing contracts.  The backdown is a positive step that recognises the basic principle of contracts, and the upper house independents, minor parties & back benchers are to be commended for their principled stand. Many of the older systems were installed at a time when the currency was lower and the price of panels higher –...

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California houses with solar worth more

Source: Solar Daily News just in : researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have recently used the results of a house pricing study to confirm what many have thought for some time: Solar PV on rooftops attracts the attention of buyers, and a premium. In the Solar Daily article, the lead author Ben Hoen elaborated was excited to be amongst the first to confirm this using scientific methods. “We find compelling evidence that solar PV systems in California have boosted home sales...

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Chinchilla solar project to cut coal consumption

The largest solar thermal project in Australia is coming to Queensland’s rural town of Chinchilla. Many residents in nearby areas already use solar thermal technology in their rooftop solar hot water systems. The Federal government in partnership with the state government have approved one of the biggest solar thermal projects in the world and confirmed funding to build a solar energy system on the site of an exisiting coal-fired power station near Chinchilla in Queensland. This type of arrangement is known as a complementary or hybrid...

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