As global leaders gather in Glasgow for the upcoming United Nation’s Climate Change Conference (COP26), Colorado is turning ‘green’ thanks to the massive solar-powered steel mill, a clear indication that even the fossil fuel reliant industries can become eco-friendly, if stakeholders can come together and make efforts to effect the change we all want to see.

Different households have different energy consumption habits, but solar can work for essentially any of them—including those with heavy power usage requirements. Frustrated by the already spiralling electricity bills and effects of global warming, many Australian households are looking for ways to build more energy efficient homes to minimise energy usage and reduce electricity bills.

According to the recently launched first ever Renewable Energy Index, renewables in Australia generate enough energy to power 70 percent of households in the Land Under.

Build Your Dream (BYD), the largest electric vehicle and storage battery manufacturer in China has intensified efforts to acquire a 25 percent of the Australian battery market after realizing a remarkable 8-10 percent share in its year one of operation in the Australian storage batteries market.

Thanks to Adani’s commitment to renewable energy, Moranbah will soon be home to one of the biggest solar farms in Australia, and which comes with 150 Adani job opportunities.

The lineup of large-scale renewable energy projects has led to highest levels of renewables investment across Australia. The Clean Energy Council (CEC) has stated 41 renewable energy projects have so far been executed in 2017.

Tasmania’s low-income households are a happy lot expecting to benefit significantly from a Labor solar scheme aimed at cutting their power bills through the installation of solar panels and battery storage.

The majority of Australians want the Turnbull Government to shut down the Liddell coal-fired power station, or as some call it ‘old lady Liddell’. According to a ReachTEL poll commissioned by the Climate Council, Australians were asked to state what would happen in case the NSW station’s impending closure finally takes place in 2022.

Just like NSW, South Australia has set a new record for powering 48% of its energy needs using rooftop solar. Interestingly, South Australia recorded the lowest power demand last weekend owing to a surge in rooftop solar uptake across the region.

The Government of Queensland claims the Liberal National Party is using the inclusion of solar energy in its ‘Real Plan’ for energy to hide its ideological obsession with coal.

Rooftop solar PV panels are the most reliable solution to the energy needs of the developing countries, the World Resources Institute report claims. The report named ‘Powering Cities in the Global South’ reveals that solarpanels are fast becoming the cheapest way for poorer households to power their homes.

By 2040, global power generated by clean energy generation will match that of coal generation. That’s according to the latest international report provided by the US Energy Information Administration (EIA).

The renewable sector in Australia is on an upward spiral, with renewables powering 70 per cent of all Australian households in the last financial year. This is according to recent data released.

Last week, the Australian state of Victoria released the most ambitious renewable energy target which stands at 25% by 2020 and 40% by 2025. This announcement was timely and came at a time when the Australian government was awarding two large scale solar projects.

South Australia will soon be housing the world’s biggest lithium-ion battery following a momentous signing of an agreement between Tesla and SA’s State Government. Interestingly, Elon Musk, Tesla’s CEO has pledged to set it up in 100 days, or it’s free.

The latest Climate Council scorecard report on renewable energy dubbed GAME ON: THE AUSTRALIAN RENEWABLE ENERGY RACE HEATS UP gives very interesting statistics that reveal a remarkable increase in support for renewable energy across all Australian states and territories.

Solar Power and planet earth are celebrating another great win, thanks to the decision by the world’s biggest coal mining company to shut down 37 of its mining sites since their operations are no longer financially viable as solar energy has become cheaper.

In May this year, one industry report showed Australian solar investments hit a record high in 2016. The 2016 report which was produced by the Clean Energy Regulator, highlighted in great detail Australia’s progress–obviously geared towards the realization of its 2020 renewable energy target.

Newly released data has confirmed that a second rooftop solar boom is currently happening around Australia. Thanks to falling costs of technology and the increasingly volatile prices of electricity, almost one quarter of households in Australia have been found to have solar panels installed.

Researchers have found that regions with large investment in renewable energy have stronger electric grids, contrary to popular belief. Select policymakers and industry advocated have said that state and federal policies that support renewable energy put the reliability of the electric grid at risk by pushing nuclear and coal power plants into early closure.

As a bid to get kids interested in clean energy, a Chinese solar power company has just finished the first phase of a 100MW solar power plant… in the shape of a panda!

Sources of renewable energy such as solar power and wind are getting just as cheap or even cheaper than the traditional carbon-intensive alternatives such as coal.

Solar power and planet earth are celebrating another great win, thanks to the decision by the world’s biggest coal mining company to shut down 37 of its mining sites since their operations are no longer financially viable, thanks to cheaper solar energy.

SolarWindow hit headlines late last year for their business-card sized thin solar coating technology designed for surfaces made with curved glass, and has now introduced another flexible glass of its kind to generate clean energy.

A planned trial phase in Queensland will see installation of about three to six megawatts of solar systems on a total of 2,000 to 4,000 detached houses and buildings owned by the government.

Over 100 Canberra households and businesses have fitted the hugely subsidised battery storage systems under the program “the ACT’s Next Generation Renewables Energy Storage Grants”.

South Australia successfully managed to avert impending blackouts after 600MW of power generation capacity were abruptly lost, right as Adelaide welcomed the Clipsal 500 and Adelaide Festival.

Australia now ranks 15th out of 115 countries for energy efficiency, energy access and clean energy. This is according to the World Bank’s new RISE report—and you’ll be shocked by the countries sitting ahead of us.

Latest reports from the ACT state reveal a myriad of actions by the Government aimed at driving down emissions from greenhouse gases and accelerating the adoption of clean energy sources across the Territory.

With less than a week in office, the U.S president was already trumping on energy matters! Following updates on the WhiteHouse.gov website, significant amendments relating to climate change and energy were made in less than an hour after the new U.

Setting up large scale solar farms in the northern part of Victoria is one of the strategies meant to significantly reduce the net carbon emissions of the state to zero by 2050.

The Minister for Climate Change and Sustainability Shane Rattenbury has announced two more clean energy grant programs for both businesses and organisations based in Canberra.

A major scientific review has determined that solar can generate more energy than oil and is twice as powerful than originally thought. The review has found that scientists are significantly underestimating the power and energy efficiency of solar panels as their data is about seven years out of date.

It comes as no surprise at all that Canberra has scooped up a major award for its commitment towards achieving its renewable energy target of 100 per cent by 2020.

Just last year, Google used the same amount of energy as San Francisco. In 2017, Google plans to source all that energy from renewable energy sources such as wind farms and solar panels.

We are almost coming to the end of the year and so is the current level of solar subsidies for Australians who postponed purchasing a solar power system.

The most recent Cedex report says October saw the largest proportion of renewables on record since data was made available. Australia’s renewable energy market hit an all time high this October with 21.

57 per cent of Sweden’s power was generated from renewables last year. A regulatory official has stated Sweden is on track to run completely on renewable energy in the next 25 years.

Generally when someone says renewable energy, solar power and wind farms are first things that come to mind. Hydropower and geothermal energy might sometimes get a bit of attention, but many are not aware of the many other vast sources of renewable energy currently being utilized around the world.

The island of Ta’u located more than 4,000 miles off the West Coast of the US in American Samoa. One of the largest challenges residents are faced with the is lack of reliable and affordable power thanks to power rationing and outages.

Some of the poorest and most disadvantaged countries in the world are aiming for a move to 100% green energy. On the last day of the Marrakech climate conference, Climate Vulnerable Forum members issued a statement on future plans.

A decade ago, you might have noticed a couple of houses around with solar power systems installed on their rooftops- what exists today is vastly different.

Zero-emission electricity is now affordable for Australians without the risks of being left without power. With the rapidly changing electricity prices and rise of alternative sources of energy to the grid, the Australian Government is reviewing the market to ensure reliable and secure power can be provided to all.

****It’s official – Australia has surpassed the 5GW target for rooftop solar penetration. The Clean Energy Regulator released new data revealing that 1.58 million homes and businesses have installed a total of 5.

Canberra is not just the Australia’s political capital – a recent study by the Climate Council on energy storage and renewables industry has revealed that Canberra is the renewable energy capital of Australia too.

Australia’s large-scale renewable energy sector is once again facing the prospect of “falling off a cliff” unless effective long-term financing strategies are established. In 2015, a report by Bloomberg pointed to financial distress in the renewables industry as the main reason why investment in large-scale renewable energy industry fell by 90 percent in the 12 months leading to 31 March 2015 to just AUD$206.

The renewables sector is one of the most vibrant in the evolving global energy industry. Along with advanced financing mechanisms and innovative technologies that are significantly reducing the cost of renewable energy; this sector presents enormous business opportunities for both corporations and homeowners alike.

A new solar forecasting system could save the solar power industry hundreds of millions of dollars and make it easier for grid operators and utilities to integrate high penetration levels of variable resources like solar into the electric grid.

In the past Mr Frydenberg has said there was a “moral” case for the coal industry and expressed optimism about the longevity of the sector.

Sweden’s prime minister announced his country will work towards becoming ‘one of the first fossil fuel-free welfare states of the world’ Renewables account for over half of Sweden’s energy, while the UK has one of the lowest renewable energy shares in Europe.

THE sun is the world’s battery pack. Photosynthesis captured the energy that is burned in fossil fuels. The sun drives the wind and ocean currents. And in an hour and a quarter the amount of sunlight that threads through the clouds to the Earth’s surface could power all the world’s electricity, vehicles, boilers, furnaces and cooking stoves for a year.

Scientists in China have developed an innovative solar panel technology that could turn raindrops into electric power. The new solar cell design, which can be “triggered” by both rain and sun, is described in a paper published in the Angewandte Chemie journal.

Global perceptions of renewable energy have been changing gradually as technologies become more advanced, adaptable and innovative. Traditional views in opposition to the adoption of renewable energy sources in both developed and developing nations has been that the drawback of renewable energy comes in the form of economic losses with the hardest hit being the world’s poor.

ARENA noted in a statement today applauding the Origin contract with Moree that “not one” of the 22 solar projects on its shortlist would go ahead without grant funding.

Renewable energy is becoming more and more relevant to our current and future lives. Some of the fastest growing industries are the ones focused on green technology, renewable energy, energy storage and basically anything that will reduce our harm to the planet.

At today’s announcement, Apple, as it sometimes does, gave prominent stage time to the future of the planet. After an interlude from CEO Tim Cook, Lisa Jackson, Apple vice president of environment, policy, and social issues, stepped on stage to make an announcement: 93 percent of Apple’s global operations now run on sustainable energy.

<p> According to the latest statistics, the number of solar power facilities across New Zealand has more than tripled in a year and a half.

<h2> 1. Government policies will make or break changes in climate action and energy industry trends. </h2> <p> In the study conducted by the International Energy Agency, energy demand is likely to grow one third between 2013 and 2040 &#8211; with most contribution coming from non-OECD countries.

In January this year Facebook announced plans for another 100 percent renewable energy powered data centre to be built in Clonee, County Meath, Ireland. It will be the company’s sixth data centre worldwide.

<p> Backed by Melbourne-based startup Matter, Digital Solar brokers deals between renters and their landlords which sees the property owner pay for the installation of solar panels and then sell electricity to the tenant at a cheaper rate than power from the grid.

In January this year Facebook announced plans for another 100 percent renewable energy powered data centre to be built in Clonee, County Meath, Ireland. It will be the company’s sixth data centre worldwide.

The connection between scientific research and government action appears to have a long way to go. Financial advocacy group Market Forces has revealed that the four major banks of Australia (Commonwealth, ANZ, NAB and Westpac) have approved funding for $5.

Battery storage is increasingly becoming an attractive and viable option for homes in Australia. The disruptive technology, which is moving faster than expected, is set to revolutionize the way Aussies access electricity–helping more homes to stay independent of the national grid.

A housing cooperative in the Sydney suburb of Newtown will make Australian history with the installation of a full solar storage system that will power the housing complex.

In December 2015, close to 200 countries from all around the world signed the COP21 Paris Agreement, henceforth committing to decreasing their share of greenhouse gas emissions… and subsequently putting a stop to global warming.

Barack Obama has announced this weekend that the budget for renewable energy funding will be doubling within five years in an attempt to commit to pledges made during the Paris Climate Summit in 2015.

Just a few years ago, renewable energy was barely considered as a part of a country’s energy planning. Publics and governments attempted to increase the renewable share in their energy systems, however the costs were too high.

The International Renewable Energy Agency has revealed that increasing renewables to 36 percent of the global energy mix by 2030 would generate about half the emissions reductions needed to prevent global warming rising above 2 degrees celsius.

Researchers from Abu Dhabi’s Masdar Institute have developed a new solar storage technology using sand from the arid deserts of the UAE to collect and store energy from the sun.

According to Professor Mark Diesendorf, it is feasible for Australia’s electricity to be supplied by 100 per cent renewable energy- here’s how. In the past, relying on renewable energy as a sole power source was seen as far too risky because of the variability and uncertainty of the weather.

Oil, coal and natural gas have powered the U.S. energy demand for generations. Yet now that the U.N. Climate Change Conference appears to have set a landmark agreement, can clean energy replace carbon-intensive sources going forward?

PARIS, FRANCE — When Lyndon Rive co-founded SolarCity — now the largest rooftop solar company in the United States — he chose a particular start date: July 4, 2006, meant to represent the company’s stance for independence from fossil fuels.

Countries all around the world are fiercely trying to combat the effects of climate change by utilizing renewable energy sources. From wind turbines to solar power, the world is working together to save our planet.

Paris climate negotiations have successfully secured $20 billion USD worth of funding for the Clean Energy Fund. Taking major steps towards reducing global reliance on fossil fuels, the 20 countries, including Australia, have committed to doubling their current contributions towards clean energy research and development over the next 5 years.

At the Paris Climate Conference, leaders from the African Union have announced ambitious goals to progress renewable energy in their struggling nations. The alliance of 54 African nations announced an initiative that will see US $20 billion invested in renewable energy projects, hopefully increasing the continent’s renewable energy capacity by at least 10 gigawatts by 2020.

U.S Microsoft billionaire, Bill Gates, has recently announced he will be contributing roughly $1 billion USD to ‘high-risk’ renewable energy projects while also standing by his previous statements that fossil fuel divestment is not the answer to global warming.

The Moroccan city of Ouarzazate will see a giant thermal energy solar plant opened next month as a part of the nation’s pledge to reach 42 per cent renewable energy capacity by 2020.

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA) it is clear that the transition from coal to clean energy is underway, as renewable energy made up half of new power plants in the world last year.

The nation’s first utility company to use 100 per cent renewable energy set up shop this week in Adelaide, South Australia. ZEN Energy has emerged from an already existing company in Adelaide, Zen Industries, which is a storage and solar business.

Google is at the forefront of innovation and sustainable investment again, this time investing in the biggest wind farm project in Africa’s history. Following a number of investment projects in the renewable energy sector in recent years, Google announced the wind farm project in Kenya this week.

Experts are predicting that solar energy today is just the beginning of something huge. When cellular phones were first released, leading consultants were skeptical, and companies were advised to withdraw their investments.

Multinational tech giant Apple has recently announced they have completed a major solar project in China, and already have plans for another. A 40 megawatt solar PV farm constructed in Sichuan Province, China, is now completed and ready for operation.

Environment Minister Greg Hunt has expressed strong support for Australia’s renewable energy sector. Mr Hunt has stated that Australia has “no excuse” not to move towards renewable energy due to its numerous economic and environmental benefits.

Software giant Microsoft has implemented a program that places them at the top of the leader board for a quickly growing effort called carbon pricing.

Scientists are beginning to realise that sunlight is a valuable form of energy production in more than one way. A new breakthrough called rectenna technology has allowed scientists to convert sunlight straight into direct current electricity.

In Australian politics we don’t expect the Conservatives and the Greens to see eye to eye on many topics, least of all renewable energy. Our recent change in leadership, however, has spurred on speculation as to the future of climate action in Australia.

The newest innovation in renewable wind energy is making waves in the energy market. Vortex Bladeless is a wind turbine without the turbine, essentially a hollow straw-like structure standing 12 metres high.

There are many advantages of working from home; a better work/life balance, a less stressful environment, and no long commute to the office is just the beginning.

Panasonic has unveiled that its rechargeable ‘Eneloop’ batteries can maintain up to 70 per cent of power if left unused. The Panasonic Energy Corporation of America had revealed this astounding discovery on its tenth year anniversary celebration.

According to the Red Electrica de Espana (REE), Spain has been generating most of its electricity utilising carbon free sources of power. The Spanish received almost 69 per cent of their electricity generation during March from certain types of technologies that are carbon free, and most of it came from renewable energy sources, where a small amount was also generated from their nuclear plants.

Mark Bailey, Queensland Minister for Energy and Water Supply says the region is more than ready for new business ventures, particularly in the solar sector due to the state’s first class solar resources.

Queensland’s Labor government has once again assured us all of their commitment to renewable energy by declaring a 50 per cent Renewable Energy Target (RET) concerning power needs by 2030, while making sure that close to 1 million homes in the state will have rooftop solar installed by 2020.

A report made by the environmental charity, WWF, announced that Scotland’s electricity has the capacity to be 100% from renewable energy by 2030. This report also includes the Scottish government’s decision to decarbonize the electricity supply of the country covering the next fifteen years.

John Grimes of the Solar Council has come out and said that the Australian government wants to kill investment for the Renewable Energy Target and that recent events are just a natural progression due to the uncertainty surrounding the RET.

For the first time in its history, the BMW Group now sources over half of its electricity worldwide from renewable energy infrastructure according to company representatives at the recent 2015 Annual Account Press Conference.

Byron Bay is targeting “net zero emissions” in its desire to become the first regional shire to reach that goal. This move is in line with the direction that the northern area of New South Wales is taking towards renewable energy and solar power.

Over the next 10 years Australia’s vehicle fleet is going to become cleaner, quieter and greener as electric vehicles (particularly pure battery electric vehicles) displace petrol, diesel and LPG powered cars.

2014 was not a good year for Australia when it comes to large-scale renewable investment as the country’s standing takes a nose dive with their commitment to climate change.

Pollution, global warming and all other environmental concerns are filling the news and sentiments of people around the world, but it’s an overflowing concern in Germany.

Renewable energy is becoming increasingly popular with Australians as research into climate change becomes more widespread. In fact, Government are now encouraging the public to contribute to the nation’s renewable energy investment through GreenPower.

In numbers there is strength are the words that come to mind when considering the recent action taken by three Australian city councils who have apparently banded together.

GetUp Australia shows AGL, Origin and EnergyAustralia are only some of the companies that have continued to invest heavily in gas and coal and very little, if at all, in renewable energy.

The “political barnacle” that Australia’s Renewable Energy Target (RET) has become should be removed, according to former Liberal leader Dr. John Hewson. The original target saw the country aim to generate 20% of energy, equivalent to 41,000 GW, from renewable sources by the year 2030.

A recent future energy poll reveals a massive 80 per cent of Australians strongly support solar and wind energy. As a result, these two renewable sources were included in the top three energy options according to the Australia Institute.

The Labor Party and the Clean Energy Council, the primary organizations that represent the renewable industry sector, have made a last ditch effort to get an agreement regarding the Renewable Energy Target before Christmas last year.

The competition was tough between Manilla, Bingara, Tenterfield and Bingara but the first town OFF the energy grid in New England goes to Uralla. The Parliament’s Renewable Energy secretary, Lesley Williams, travelled to Uralla to make the announcement.

Between the years 2012 and 2013 the total amount of global financing towards renewable energy technology and climate change alleviation dropped by a total of $28 billion.

First Solar is reconsidering its future investment in renewable energy in Australia because of the uncertainty on the government’s renewable energy target. This is significant because this company is one of the leaders in the Australian solar power industry.

Burlington, Vermont’s largest city proudly announces that it now gets 100 per cent of its electricity from renewable energy sources. A publicly owned utility, the Burlington Electric Department, earns the distinction of achieving this remarkable feat.

The largest coal producer in the world is going solar. The coal mining conglomerate Coal India Limited (CIL), nationalised by the Indian government in the 70s, is investing in renewable energy sources as a partner to the country’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy to build solar plants for the generate of a thousand megawatts of combined energy.

Retrofitting – the addition of new technology to an old structure – can save businesses in the UK between £3bn to £5bn, according to Carbon Trust, with the use and/or development of LED lighting, smart metering, and thermal-efficient cladding, among others.

US solar giant Recurrent Energy has announced that it will close down its Australian headquarters due to the uncertainty over Australia’s renewable energy target, with many international renewable energy developers threatening to follow suit.

Many countries continue to embrace renewable energy, with the United States, China, and the United Kingdom among those that have increased their reliance on new and renewable sources of power.

Environmental activist organisation Friends of the Earth (FoE) is leading the fight against anti-wind farm legislation proposed by former Premier Ted Baillieu, citing adverse costs on the environment and economy.

The newest renewable energy project goes to Coober Pedy using solar and wind powers According to the Clean Energy Council (CEC), this project will be able to generate 70% of electricity from renewable energy sources.

The Clean Energy Finance Corporation is fighting for the renewable energy industry by providing an initial investment of around $80 million to the industry. Australia’s investment in renewable energy amounts to only around $40 million from January to June this year, the lowest in almost 13 years.

The price of natural gas export continues to increase in the world market, causing many electricity providers in Australia to sell their gas instead of burning it.

Australia is laying low on its commitment to support new and renewable sources of energy even as the rest of the world has stepped up their efforts.

Essendon Football Club, the most successful team in the history of Australian-rules football, is set to begin training at a brand new facility in coming weeks – a green building called the True Value Solar Centre.

ACT has gripped the tiger by the tail and there is no more stepping back. This government agency tasked to develop alternative sources of energy has stepped up its efforts in making renewable energy a reality in Australia.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott seems to be testing the waters lately by deeming himself as one of the chief villains in what has been dubbed as the war against renewable energy in Australia.

At a time when New South Wales desperately needs jobs and businesses, the renewable energy industry was dealt a harsh blow by the Federal Government.

There is a growing concession among environmentalists that renewable energy is one of the best, if not the best, solutions to the worsening global problem of climate change because this type of energy is derived from natural sources like the sun, wind, and water from the oceans.

The enquiry comes in the form of research to be conducted by Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Council or NHMRC, the same entity that, three years ago, found no evidence to link wind farms and adverse impacts on health.

If you have decided to invest in a solar power system for your home, you want to be sure that you purchase from a high regarded company in the industry.

The thorny issue of carbon tax has come up again with the latest report from European consultancy Ecofys, which indicates there’s still a divide between commitments to preventing changes in the climate from worsening and what is actually being done.

“What is the difference between solar energy and geothermal energy?” It’s not the most common question however I do get it thrown at me every once in a while and on that basis I thought it’s time to clarify for the views.

Analysis commissioned by the Climate Institute has revealed that the Abbott Government is planning to cut $4 billion in private funding for the renewable energy industry.

As the election looms, the Australian Greens have delivered a policy which provides $100 million in funding to help farmers switch to renewable energy. The proposed policy also pledges a further $2 billion to help fast-track renewable energy development through a ‘clean energy map’.

An independent report from leading strategic consultancy SKM MMA shows that Australia’s 20 per cent Renewable Energy Target has delivered $18.5 billion in investment, with the potential for $18.

Greens NSW MP John Kaye says a draft Renewable Energy Action Plan for New South Wales fails to entice renewable energy uptake and threatens jobs.

The 100% Renewable community campaign yesterday welcomed Tony Abbott’s ongoing support for the Renewable Energy Target and his willingness to listen to the evidence that renewable energy is keeping power prices rises down.

The Board of Directors of Renewable Energy Corporation ASA (REC) has resolved to initiate a process, including formal deliberations with the employee representatives to assess permanent closedown of parts of the production capacity in Norway.