By Kerrie Sinclair
AUSTRALIA has the scorching sun, the scientific skill and private investors poised to swing behind a solar industry boom that could deliver a climate-safe power sector and billions in export earnings.
But missing from that equation is the political will, industry experts say.
Scientists say the world needs to cut greenhouse gas emissions from electricity and transport virtually to zero in 40 years if it wants a decent chance of keeping damage from climate change manageable.
Australia had a major solution in sight long ago. The sun. Australian researchers, including a world-leading team in Queensland, created a golden age in the '60s and '70s for Australian solar innovation.
Masdar is noted for their Masdar city project to create a high performance zero emissions city. In this interview we talk about one of their main projects and that is testing and scaling solar beam down towers for comercial deployment in the United Arab Emirates. The towers are from the work of Tokyo Institute of Technology and are pre commercial at this stage but hold a lot of pr
The University of New South Wales (UNSW) has dominated the development of standard photovoltaics cells since the mid 1980s and Professor Martin Green has been at the head of the UNSW efforts since the late 1970s. From BP buying into the UNSW's photovoltaic technology in the 80s to the UNSW's recent relationship with Suntech, the UNSW has been at the forefront of photovoltaic development and commecialisation globally.
THE federal government has the opportunity to switch the nation's power to renewable energy but favours attempts to make "dirty coal clean", according to the Australian Academy of Science. 
A large installation of 750 Megawatts of 'Sun Catcher' Solar Dishes in 'Imperial Valley', USA, will employ at least 4400 during manufacturing and construction, and 150 in operation.
Invented by Wolfgang over 25 years ago 1000s of Scheffler dishes are now installed at 100s of locations around the world. Wolfgang Scheffler has made his dish designs and associated intellectual property available for free to create a solar world.
A KEY Chinese adviser believes the world will forge a new climate change pact at
In Spain, they don't just talk, but have lots of green technologies to show: Solar, and Transport, too, Matthew reports.