The South Australian government has announced a $15 million scheme to fund rooftop solar and energy efficiency upgrades for schools across the state, in an effort to help them cut power costs and further reduce the state’s carbon emissions.

At the start of each year, when market observers do their annual look at the year ahead, there is normally always a vague statement about some type of widespread consolidation of companies set to unfold.

The threat of heatwave related blackouts in Australia is another reason households are contemplating increased energy independence through the installation of solar and battery systems.

A group of Iowa State University scientists have developed a biomimetic tree that could – emphasise “could” – harness wind power to generate electricity for charging small household appliances.