Commercial-scale PV systems present enormous opportunities for our industry. However, the requirements to source and verify a range of site-specific data over a large site is challenging. To then ensure this data correctly forms part of all aspects of the system’s performance and installation requirements can be complicated and unfamiliar to some system designers and […]
Tag: australia
In 2016, Shouldn’t the DeLorean be Electric?
The DeLorean Motor Company announced last week that the iconic DeLorean DMC-12, best known as the time machine in the “Back to the Future’ series, will be back in production soon (CNBC, Jan 2016). The plan at the moment is to produce 300 replica cars using existing spare parts stock. Is this an opportunity missed […]
Localised networks and demand side participation
The National Electricity Market (NEM) has been traditionally set up as a two sided market which allows for participation from the Supply Side and the Demand Side. With the rapid and continuous uptake of distributed generation and storage, the terminology and regulatory framework surrounding the “two sided” approach will have to change significantly. This article […]
Hoverboards, Fires and Residential Battery Storage
The recent personal transportation device craze that is “self-balancing electric scooters” – a.k.a. hoverboards, have been all over the news recently, but for the wrong reasons. It seems these new toys, or more specifically the batteries used, have a tendency to unexpectedly catch fire in a range of situations. The fact that there have also […]
Professional Development for the Energy Storage Industry – Who needs it?
The ever increasing publicity and media surrounding ‘Energy Storage’ is promulgated by all sectors of the energy market: industry journalists, network operators, energy retailers, equipment retailers, wholesalers, system designers, and installers. What training is currently available for the energy storage industry? From GSES’ perspective, as an engineering consultancy and training company, the additional knowledge and […]
State Feed in Tariffs to End, what happens next?
Next year at about this time, three states will terminate part of their feed-in-tariff programs: • Victoria’s Transitional and Standard Net metering programs end on 31 December 2016, • South Australia’s Customer Group 4 Net metering program ends on 30 September 2016 and • New South Wales $0.60/kWh and $0.20/kWh Solar Bonus Scheme ends on […]
I got 99 problems but a switch ain’t one (ONLY VALID UNTIL DATE OF PUBLISHED)
Correct isolator selection and installation is an extremely important aspect of ensuring PV systems are safe and up to standard. Through the extensive inspection work that GSES has conducted, and feedback from industry, interpreting isolator data sheets can be tricky for many installers. In response to this GSES has increased its focus on isolator selection […]
Utility Scale Solar: Dual Purpose Land Usage Opportunities
Recent months have seen the approval of many landmark developments of utility scale solar farms, such as the 2GW proposal in Bulli Creek, NSW and the 130MW proposal in Clair, QLD. These developments will take up vast amounts of land: the 130MW solar farm will take up 340 hectares of cane sugar fields, and the […]
East West Arrays: Are they worth it?
The current cost of rooftop PV means that it can be cheaper to source your electricity from a rooftop solar system than buy it from the grid. A significant problem with this, however, is that people consume 50%+ of their electricity during the morning and evening when solar systems are not producing, is it possible […]
Emerging Technologies: Perovskite
Over the last 40 years photovoltaic (PV) technology has been steadily increasing in efficiency and decreasing in cost. This has resulted in a booming PV industry where PV research and development have continued to improve the technology. Currently, the primary material used in solar PV cells is crystalline Silicon; however, there are other materials used […]