Long-time Slashdot readers denbesten, haruchai, and Kant all submitted this story. CleanTechnica reports: Tesla and the government of South Australia have announced a stunning new project that could change how electricity is generated not only in Australia but in every country in the world. They plan to install rooftop solar system on 50, 000 homes in the next four years and link them them together with grid storage facilities to create the largest virtual solar power plant in history. And here’s the kicker: The rooftop solar systems will be free. The cost of the project will be recouped over time by selling the electricity generated to those who consume it. “We will use people’s homes as a way to generate energy for the South Australian grid, with participating households benefiting with significant savings in their energy bills, ” says South Australia’s premier Jay Weatherill. “More renewable energy means cheaper power for all South Australians…” Price predicts utility bills for participating households will be slashed by 30%. Electrek reports that the project will result in at least 650 MWh of additional energy storage capacity, and Tesla points out that “At key moments, the virtual power plant could provide as much capacity as a large gas turbine or coal power plant.” Read more of this story at Slashdot.
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Tesla To Construct ‘Virtual Solar Power Plant’ Using 50,000 Homes
An anonymous reader writes: It’s been very windy across Europe this week. So much so, in fact, that the high wind load on onshore and offshore wind turbines across much of the continent has helped set new wind power records. For starters, renewables generated more than half of Britain’s energy demand on Wednesday — for the first time ever. In fact, with offshore wind supplying 10 percent of the total demand, energy prices were knocked into the negative for the longest period on record. The UK is home to the world’s biggest wind farm, and the largest wind turbines, so it’s no surprise that this was an important factor in the country’s energy mix. “Negative prices aren’t frequently observed, ” Joel Meggelaars, who works at renewable energy trade body WindEurope, told Motherboard over the phone. “It means a high supply and low demand.” Read more of this story at Slashdot. 
Remember that zippy performance and warm feeling you got when you booted up your Mac for the first time? Seems a long time ago, doesn’t it? Thankfully, getting everything wiped and back to its original state isn’t too complicated or painful a procedure any more. Here’s how to go about it in the latest Mac OS X. Read more…