LEARN The Basics
GO In Depth
DIVE INTO Solar SavingsJune2016
Less sunshine, wind and rain could cast shade on renewable energy
Fighting climate change will involve massive changes to the way we produce and distribute energy. Those changes are already happening. Several studies have looked at how our energy systems will change as clean energy increases and fossil fuels are replaced. But climate change must be planned into this transition. For instance, temperature is a key […]
Power to the people: how communities can help meet our renewable energy goals
The federal election campaign has highlighted the very different visions of Australia’s renewable energy future held by the major parties. The Coalition government supports the present Renewable Energy Target (RET) of 33,000 gigawatt-hours from large-scale projects in 2020, which it negotiated with the Labor opposition in 2015. It’s expected to deliver just over a 23% […]
Getting more energy from the sun: how to make better solar cells
Global demand for energy is increasing by the hour as developing countries move toward industrialization. Experts estimate that by the year 2050, worldwide demand for electricity may reach 30 terawatts (TW). For perspective, one terawatt is roughly equal to the power of 1.3 billion horses. Energy from the sun is limitless – the sun provides […]
Where could Australia genuinely innovate?
There is a lot of talk about innovation these days, but are we really innovating in the areas where we could generate the most benefit for Australia and the world? What is clear is that the decline in mining revenue, the elimination of manufacturing jobsand climate-dependent uncertainties in agricultural productivity mean Australia’s future prosperity cannot […]
Want to know if the Paris climate deal is working? University divestment is the litmus test.
The Paris climate agreement has been praised for sending a strong signal to the world that we are now serious about cutting greenhouse emissions. Yet despite the diplomatic acclaim, the Paris deal doesn’t offer much in concrete terms. It is a simple global show-and-tell regime with no enforcement – if countries miss their targets they […]
Share the light
As the local power grid was overloaded one extremely hot January day this year, the neighborhood lost power, as it does once or twice each summer. Unfazed, I reached for my trusty, D Battery powered flashlight under my kitchen sink, which only makes an appearance during these summer blackouts. And you guessed it, batteries were […]
2016 is likely to be the world’s hottest year: here’s why
We’re not even halfway through the year but already you may have heard talk of 2016 being the hottest on record. But how can scientists be so sure we’re going to beat the previous record, set just last year? Even before the end of 2015, the UK Met Office was forecasting with 95% confidence that […]
