If Australia can kickstart a viable solar industry, the country could take better advantage of the talent and research knowhow in Australia to begin building next-generation cells, and unlock other parts of the green economy, write Brett Hallam and Fiacre Rougieux from the UNSW Sydney.

“Cheap and plentiful solar power could make it viable to crack water to make green hydrogen or make green steel and aluminium,” they add.

“Many initiatives have to be set in train now to gain the benefits in five or ten years’ time. […] But in a sun-drenched country, it makes sense to aim for the skies.”

  • Wiggles
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    9 months ago

    Those turbines look interesting, definitely a plausible technology based off that video. Looks like they have used gearing between the two blades to concentrate the energy from both blades so you only need one electric generator (generally just referred to as an electric motor but they do both) which is far more efficient (but still along the same lines of) stacking multiple up using electrical connections like you can do with solar modules to increase power output, which is what I was thinking of when I wrote my previous comment.

    It also makes me think of this, https://youtu.be/Qbv_dtwTGDo?si=fSpRWpGqBlTEjMqH, which seems like a decent idea to me.

    I’m not sure if it is a lack of feasibility that is getting in the way or just a lack of political will and interest. Could even be because solar is so cheap now that a newer, less refined technology (even in terms of legislation and infrastructure planning) with higher up front costs is just less desirable. I think I could still be worth investing in both in the long run (assuming it is actually viable).

    • vipaal
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      9 months ago

      Around the same time just have a think did a deeper dive on the idea https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcSnwW5v3f8 . In the spirit of protecting the environment, it would be good to accommodate birds, wildlife etc in the thought process.

      Like you said, looks like a combination of resources, financing, political will and, the technology itself seem to have come together to bring us here.