This week in Solar: Solar cars, solar at night, and more

1. Solar breakthrough in Bill Gates-back technology innovation

Tech startup Heliogen reveals their secret success: combining mirrors and AI to concentrate solar energy.

2. How can landlords use solar power to help generate better long term rental returns?

If you’re a landlord, consider using solar power to make your rental more profitable. A long-term strategy, solar power can both make your property more appealing to tenants and improve its property value.

3. Solar farm helps balance UK grid – at night. And Australia could do the same

The BP-backed renewable energy developer behind a 200MW solar farm planned for inland New South Wales has used one of its UK grid-connected PV projects to help balance Britain’s electricity network – at night.

4. 7 Companies That Are Leading the Way for Solar-Powered Cars

While solar cars might not be on the verge of overturning the auto industry, it’s the promise of forming part of a wider network of self-sufficient energy consumption that makes them such a tantalizing proposition.

5. NSW’s first renewable energy zone to unlock 3 GW of new generation

Under the Electricity Strategy released on Friday, the NSW Government has unveiled a plan to deliver Australia’s first coordinated Renewable Energy Zone in the Central-West, seeking to support the new generation needed to get energy bills down.

6. UNSW students provide solar solutions to remote Fijian communities

University of New South Wales students have travelled to remote communities in Fiji in order to troubleshoot the challenges of renewable energy integration and come up with technical and design-based solutions to community needs.

7. Clean energy must be rolled out six times faster

To have any hope of restricting global heating to a maximum of 1.5 degrees Celsius, the renewables success story which saw 108 GW of solar deployed last year needs to be cranked up to the next level – and fast.

8. Solar and battery microgrid achieves 90% renewables for W.A. gas hub

Horizon Power’s poster child for the shift to a distributed renewable grid, the Western Australia Pilbara town of Onslow, says its solar and battery microgrid is already helping to deliver “more reliable” and cleaner power – at levels of up to 90 per cent renewables.