Federal Energy Minister: ‘no stance’ on new coal fired Hunter Valley power stations
Federal Energy Minister Angus Taylor says that the Coalition has “no stance” on the two proposed Hunter Valley power plants that would be fired by coal. The Guardian reported this week that an overseas investment firm had teamed with a small Australian company to develop two 1,000 MW “Ultra Super Critical Coal-Fired Power Plants” close […]
Utilities install solar and batteries instead of new grid in remote WA
Key utilities in Western Australia are substituting solar battery technology for ageing power infrastructure in remote farming areas. This utility solar battery use is a turnaround for big utilities’ traditional non-renewable energy sources. State-owned utility Horizon Power is replacing 54 kilometres of ageing power lines and poles with microgrid solar storage systems at 14 farms […]
Two new Hunter Valley coal fired power plants announced ahead of NSW election
A Hong Kong investment firm says a deal has been signed to build two large coal-fired power plants near the town of Kurri Kurri in New South Wales’ Hunter Valley region. Kaisun Holdings Ltd claims it has signed a memorandum of understanding with a Chinese power provider and a small private Australian company to build […]
NSW state election energy policy: Labor, Coalition and Greens renewable energy policy
As we hurtle towards the New South Wales state election on Saturday, March 23, renewable energy is a political hot topic. All major parties recognise the importance of taking a stance on environmental issues, and the ‘big three’ outlined their NSW state election energy pledges last month. Here’s a look at what the Liberals & […]
NSW climate action and renewable energy policies lagging: Climate Council
NSW’s coal-fired plants are getting old and not enough is being done to replace them, according to a new Climate Council report. In general, the Council believes that NSW climate action is lagging. The Council’s ‘Ageing and Unprepared’ report says NSW has an 83 per cent reliance on coal for its energy needs. However, four […]
Renewable energy beats coal in blazing Australian summer: Energy Audit
Renewable energy outperformed coal over Australia’s record-breaking summer of heat, data from The Australia Institute (TAI) shows. TAI’s Climate and Energy Program audit shows large-scale solar farms ran at 93 per cent capacity during the unprecedented heatwave on January 25 2019. On the other hand, Victoria’s coal-fired power generators operated well below capacity in the […]
Carbon emissions rewind: RMIT scientists turn carbon dioxide back into coal
Research scientists at RMIT in Melbourne have discovered a new method of carbon capture technology that could help remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. The new carbon capture technique converts carbon dioxide (CO2) from a gas to a solid at room temperature. The technique uses a liquid metal catalyst and electrolysis. The solid flakes that […]
Queensland bill to establish ‘CleanCo’ renewable energy company enters parliament
Legislation to establish Queensland’s CleanCo state renewable energy generating company was introduced into state parliament yesterday by the Labor Party Government. Once passed, the Palaszczuk Government’s brainchild will be Queensland’s third publicly-owned electricity generator. As a state-owned electricity entity, it will be subject to directions from government. While not everyone supports publicly-owned energy generation, state […]
Snowy 2.0 Hydro project gets green light from Morrison Government
The ambitious Snowy 2.0 hydroelectricity electricity generation and storage project has been approved by the Morrison Coalition Government. The Coalition has committed funding of up to $1.38 billion, as reported by ABC News. Snowy 2.0 will see a new underground power station built in the remote Snowy Mountains of NSW. The project will supply 2,000 […]
Solar demographics: Low-to-mid income households choose solar to beat rising power prices
Lower income households are installing solar energy faster than wealthier ones in a bid to counter rising power prices. This is according to solar demographics data just released. New research commissioned by Solar Citizens shows rooftop solar panels are proportionally more common on the homes of low-to-middle income Australians. In fact, the lowest socio-economic group […]
