Inner West students and council join forces to put solar in schools
Sydney’s inner west solar network has received a boost after local student leaders joined the solar in schools movement. The Sydney Student Leader Coalition (SSLC) is a collective of high school students from inner west schools advocating for change in their communities. The Coalition is partnering with Inner West Council to get rooftop solar for local schools. […]
Two of Australia’s biggest solar farms set to light up Riverina town
Two of the biggest solar farms Australia has seen so far are planned for Balranald in rural NSW. The 255 MW Sunraysia Solar Farm is due to begin construction shortly. The $350 million project should generate enough energy to power around 50,000 homes. Building of the Limondale solar project will also begin this month. The […]
Chief Scientist: solar-powered hydrogen production could be major Aussie export
Chief Scientist Alan Finkel says Australia should consider exporting solar powered hydrogen to Japan – a new industry he calls “shipping sunshine”. Finkel wrote in the Sydney Morning Herald that this could provide a huge export opportunity for Australia. He described it as a “multi-billion dollar market in the making”. Finkel says government and tech […]
NT approves 25 MW solar plant on road to 50% renewables target
The NT government has approved the development of a 25 MW solar PV plant near Katherine. Once completed, this Northern Territory solar farm will be the Territory’s largest to date. It’s the first in a number of large-scale Northern Territory solar projects under consideration in the NT under Labor’s 50 per cent renewable energy target. […]
Local governments lead the way on climate change and renewable energy
While the Morrison Government remains uninterested in energy policy, local government areas throughout the country are forging ahead with emissions reduction and renewable energy initiatives through the Cities Power Partnership (CPP). The Climate Council created the CPP program, which is now the biggest climate, emissions and energy program for local governments in Australia. So far, […]
Huge solar project sees Port Augusta emerge as Australia’s renewable hub
The largest solar project in the southern hemisphere is well under way in South Australia. The first stage of the Bungala solar farm has been completed north-east of Port Augusta. The subsequent completion of stage two will then see the 300 MW solar PV farm cover an area close to the size of Melbourne’s CBD. […]
Renewables must replace coal to stop catastrophic climate change: IPCC
Renewables like wind and solar power must replace coal by 2050 to prevent carbon emissions pushing a global temperature increase above 1.5°C. That’s the finding of a report released yesterday by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The report says greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels must reach virtually zero by mid-century to prevent catastrophic climate change. […]
Strata dwellers sidelined in Victorian Solar Homes program
Strata dwellers are missing out on the financial benefits offered by Victoria’s Solar Homes program. That’s the message from a forum hosted by the We Live Here lobby group in Melbourne. The group lobbies for residents living in high-density areas including strata titles like apartment buildings. As reported by Docklands News, strata lawyer Tom Bacon says […]
ACCC chief to states: write down value of ‘poles and wires’ to cut electricity prices
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is standing by its claim that electricity network owners are responsible for Australia’s high electricity prices. Speaking at a Sydney seminar this week, ACCC chief Rod Sims repeated his recommendation for state governments to “write down” the value of the regulatory asset bases of electricity networks. The recommendation was […]
ARENA wants to harness your rooftop solar power
The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) is investigating the impact of distributed energy such as that from rooftop solar panel systems on the electricity grid. Its new initiative — the Distributed Energy Integration Program (DEIP) — aims to find the best way to harness residential solar power’s collective potential. The idea is to connect small household […]
