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 […]
Clean Energy Council creates home battery quality assurance program
The Clean Energy Council (CEC) has developed a home battery quality assurance and standards program. The CEC produced the ‘Clean Energy Council’s Battery Assurance Program’ in consultation with organisations including the CSIRO and the Smart Energy Council. The Victorian state Energy Minister Lily D’Ambrosio launched the program in Melbourne at the All-Energy Australia 2018 Exhibition and […]
South Australia’s grid backup battery ‘very encouraging’ – Australian Energy Market Operator
The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) has given the Tesla Powerpack grid backup battery in South Australia a big thumbs up, reports Business Insider Australia. While some members of the federal government mocked the battery, assigning it ‘gimmick’ status, AEMO’s operations manager Damien Sanford describes it as “very encouraging”. This is mainly due to the battery’s […]
Victorian renewable energy projects growth to create thousands of jobs
Victoria is on target with renewable energy projects to meet the Victorian renewable energy target of 40 per cent by 2030, according to Green Energy Markets analysis. According to the Guardian, figures show Victoria’s renewable energy boom will create over 6,000 annual jobs at the current rate of growth. (An ‘annual job’ is one person working […]
Tathra spells out climate change message once again
Residents of the town of Tathra on NSW’s far south Sapphire Coast decided to spell out the climate change message personally last weekend. A 2,000-strong contingent turned up to write ‘Keep Tathra Cool’, ‘Decrease CO2’ and ‘Climate Action Now’ on the Lawrence Park oval in three human signs. Fourteen local fire trucks and a taiko […]
Queensland government sets new guidelines for solar farms
The Queensland government has released a solar farm guide to help local government authorities make the most of cost-cutting solar energy. The 25-page Queensland solar farm guide provides detailed guidance for the development of solar farms that supply 5 MW or more electricity to the grid. The Sunshine State is living up to its name as […]