Veronika Wild

Australia is facing a 450, 000-tonne mountain of used solar panels. Here’s how to turn it into a valuable asset CPVA , Author provided Archie Chapman , The University of Queensland There were an estimated 100 million individual solar photovoltaic (PV) panels in Australia at the end of 2022. We estimate this number will likely grow to over 2 billion if we are to meet Australia’s 2050 net-zero emissions target. This growth means Australia is facing a 450,000-tonne mountain of used PV panels by 2040. Managing all those discarded PV panels will be a huge job. Rather than treating them as “waste”, though, these panels could be a source of social, environmental and economic value. Our new industry report outlines how we can realise that value. PV panels contain a variety of valuable materials. The panels can also be put to new uses, such as on uninhabited community and sports club buildings, for agricultural irrigation pumps, or for c

-Image by Adolfo Cj from Pixabay  We are told   – usually by fossil fuel interests and pro – nuclear enthusiasts, how solar installations (and windfarms) mar the landscape, harm the environment and destroy farmland.  Though some of these giant installations do look rather intrusive initially, they don't have to stay that way as we'll see below, and the benefits will mostly outweigh the visual impact. In my view, countries which have any choice at all should not opt for energy sources which are likely to keep cooking us slowly, or those which leave behind intractable waste. We've already seen in the previous post how smaller community grids close to where people live, don’t necessarily have to make a great blot on the landscape. Nor do they need a massive investment in infrastructure. The City of Heillbronn in Germany (population 128,334) for example, gets at least one third of its energy from community -run solar projects -mostly using rooftop solar and, according t

  “Tulips are the poets of the garden, Whispering tales of strength and beauty to those Who listen with their hearts.” -Poem by Alice Hoffman -Lovely flowers by my friend, Fine Art Photographer, Ivy Malkin As we plunge headlong into winter and our trees have gone straight to brown instead of gold, my friends in the Northern Hemisphere have been sending me pictures of spring flowers. They remind me that even though the world is in turmoil and the future doesn’t look all that bright, there are still things to be grateful for. This was going to be a post for Earth Day, April 14, until other events intervened, but perhaps it will still bring some sunshine into your life.   Solar Gardens Have you thought about owning a bit of your own electricity grid? No, I don’t mean rooftop solar. Solar Gardens are for renters and city apartment dwellers who don’t have a roof to call their own. Looking rather like community garden plots and feeding directly into the grid – no new transm