Harnessing direct solar energy – a progress report
Useful Sites
Your Home (Australian Government)
Solar hot water
Provides technical details about domestic solar hot water systems.
Photovoltaic systems
Provides technical details about domestic photovoltaic systems.
Concentrating Solar Thermal Systems (Solar Thermal Group, Australian National University)
Provides technical descriptions of some solar thermal collecting systems.
Tapping into the sun (National Renewable Energy Laboratory, USA)
An article on photovoltaic cells with case studies.
How Stuff Works, USA
How solar cells work
Examines how solar cells convert the sun's energy into electricity.
How power grids work
Looks at the equipment that brings electricity to your home.
Australian Government Department of the Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities
Solar thermal
Lists technologies that use energy from the sun to produce electricity or heat.
Australian Government Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency
Solar cities: A vision of the future
Outlines the Government’s Solar Cities project, in which seven Australian cities will participate.
Australian Government - Geoscience Australia
Map of operating renewable energy generators in Australia
Provides maps of proposed and operational renewable energy generators across Australia.
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Solar same price as grid electricity (ABC News, PM, 7 September 2011)
Discusses how the price of domestic solar generated electricity in Australia has reached parity with electricity obtained from the grid.
Using solar power to produce non-fossil liquid fuels for transportation (Science Show, 5 March 2011)
Describes research that uses solar power to produce hydrogen or methane fuels.
Solar cells achieve new energy record (News in Science, 26 August 2009)
Reports on solar cells with record breaking efficiency at converting sunlight into electricity.
Martin Green (In Conversation, 6 November 2008)
A transcript of an interview discussing photovoltaic research in Australia.
Prospects for photovoltaics (Science Show, 18 October 2008)
Provides an update on solar voltaic technology in Australia.
Solar future (Catalyst, 27 July 2006)
Looks at a number of promising solar technologies being developed.
Scientific American
21 March, 2010
Podcast - Does Solar Power Need a Revolution? (by David Biello)
Discusses the gaol of making solar power efficient and affordable.
Page updated December 2011.