Ferguson has mostly been interested in protecting the supply of fossil fuels or export or use at home, although he has shown an increasing interest in solar of late, writes Giles Parkinson from Climate Spectator.
Solar power
The fine line between teething problems and incompetence
Can Barry O’Farrell’s decision to rescind NSW’s feed-in tariff for solar power systems simply be put down to teething issues? That may be an excuse for some things but he ought to have known better, writes Mr Tiedt.
NSW solar scandal … a million roofs forgotten
For Barry O’Farrell to just throw the local NSW solar industry under the bus is a public policy meltdown, writes Simon Mansfield from SolarDaily.com.
Middle-class free electricity scheme over
The New South Wales solar gold rush is over with the NSW Government suspending the current gross feed-in tariff scheme after it was sold out five years earlier than originally planned, writes Simon Mansfield.
Samso: the self-sufficient island
The small Danish island of Samso is one of the first industralised places on Earth to become totally energy self-sufficient, powered by wind turbines, solar and straw-fired plants.
Crikey Clarifier: What is solar power?
As Australia attempts to plan a future powered by renewable energy, solar power is one the most talked-about possibilities. But could Australia actually be 100% solar powered? Evan Beaver takes a look.
Smiling assassins: how Rudd is killing renewable energy
Despite strong and consistent public support, renewable energy has been held back for decades by Australian governments, writes Dr Mark Diesendorf.
How to power the entire planet with renewable energy
Ridding the world of fossil fuels doesn’t have to be a pipe dream, say scientists Mark Jacobson and Mark Delucchi. Here’s their plan to supply 100% of the world’s energy needs with wind, water and solar technologies by 2030.
The black hole that fits in your back pocket
Want a portable black hole that you can carry around, sucking up microwave light and turning it into heat? Chinese physicists have created one, but relax, it won’t suck you into it. It’s more aimed at the solar energy market.
PHOTO GALLERY: Amazing solar powered houses
Teams from universities all over the world are competing to design and construct innovative new solar-powered, energy-efficient houses as part of the Solar Decathalon. Check out some of their amazing designs.
Sunny side up: power the whole world with solar
How much of the earth’s surface would need to be covered by solar panels in order to power the whole world in 2030? Not that much. It would take up a far bit of the Sahara desert, but that alone could power all of Europe and North Africa.
Has the sun lost its spots?
Among some global warming sceptics, there is speculation that the Sun may be on the verge of falling into an extended slumber similar to the so-called Maunder Minimum, several sunspot-scarce decades during the 17th and 18th centuries.
