Explainers

Recent extreme weather events have underscored the need to cut the CO₂ emissions that are driving up global temperatures. This requires a rapid transition of the energy economy to renewable energy sources, the cheapest being solar photovoltaics (PV). And our newly published research points to a way we can drive down costs of the shift even further using cheaper forms of silicon for highly efficient solar panels.

Kathryn Lucas-Healey, Australian National University; Alice Wendy Russell, Australian National University; Hedda Ransan-Cooper, Australian National University, and Hugo Temby, Australian National University

Here’s some new research out there that will help you choose which type of PV array is best for you and your business. 

Building a new home and want to make sure it’s operationally net zero?

The desire by people in richer countries for a diverse range of out-of-season produce imported from overseas is driving up global greenhouse gas emissions, new research has found.

Utilising recycled timber and the thousands-of-years-old construction material of rammed earth, the “Djildjit” home in Fremantle WA is environmental engineer Martin Anda’s answer to the passive solar philosophy.

If you’re anything like me, you’re increasingly working from home, one that was built before energy efficiency measures were introduced in Australia.

What do you do when your home is too chilly and you can’t find any sustainable homes on the market? You build your own. 

In the tropics, the deep sea is cold and the sea surface is very warm. That temperature difference can be harnessed and turned into electricity. If we can improve the technology, this method of producing power could be a godsend for island nations reliant on expensive and polluting diesel for their power.