RenewEconomy

The solar PV cost reduction spiral reached its lowest point yet at an auction in Chile last week, where a Spanish developer won contracts to sell power from a solar plant high in the Andes for $29.10/MWh.

A subculture of Tesla Model S drivers is discovering the joys, and tribulations, of converting their $US145,000 Model S into a very fancy tent.

Community solar investor round in Sydney's inner-west raised more than $17k in 9 minutes to put solar on the roof of a craft brewery in Newtown.

BHP says potential for solar and battery storage at remote and off-grid sites is "enormous" as it signs on to world-leading project near Cooktown in north Queensland. Co-funders ARENA says it is clear battery storage is already competitive in certain locations.

The general consensus is that Tesla has already started installing its new 100 kWh battery in its cars without telling anyone. TMC believe battery that the change in performance is its new 90 kWh battery software. instead of its previous 60 kWh.

A Victorian project using "non-network" demand response solutions to avoid network "gold-plating" has won state government funding.

ACT achieves new record low price for wind energy in Australia as it secures another 200MW of capacity, which will deliver 100% renewable energy by 2020.

Peter Cowling, Anne McEntee and JC Sandberg discuss the global landscape for renewables, policy and innovation and what the future energy mix looks like.

Award-winning state green building program scrapped by Victoria's former Coalition government, has been reinstated by Labor with a $33m investment over two years to cut building energy consumption and emissions.

Energy ministers hailed progress, but their summit ducked key issues. They refused to embrace the target zero net carbon emissions, while South Australia indicated it favoured an "emissions intensity" scheme to replace the renewable energy target.

Fight looms between retailers and networks over right to install solar and battery storage in homes, businesses. Spark Infrastructure says proposed rules "ludicrous".

DUE’s share price will likely be driven by the success or otherwise of its remote energy and clean energy segment.

ANU scientists achieve record solar thermal efficiency of 97% – a breakthrough that could cut CST electricity costs by 10%.

Spot prices were below last year, in all States, possibly reflecting good level of wind generation, soft demand and that most interconnectors seem to be working.

Shishmaref is one of dozens of indigenous villages in Alaska that face growing threats of flooding and erosion due to global warming.

AEMO, in presentation to energy ministers, says there was no system security or supply reliability issues in South Australia during July.

More evidence emerges of how big utilities game the market in South Australia, and how the fossil fuel industry tried to blame it all on renewables. This comes as energy ministers meet to consider proposals to open up the national gas market.

A new record-low solar bid was set in Chile, while wind projects took 40% of the auctioned power contracts.

McKinsey report – and graph – says battery storage makes sense now for subset of commercial customers in "each of the four most important applications."

The events of July 7, and how we interpret them, will have ongoing implications for future business investment and how we meet the decarbonisation challenge.