Grand Final weekend: AFL clubs scoring a solar power advantage
This Saturday is that one day in September, those monumental hours when football stops a city, if not a nation. This year the AFL Grand Final will witness a clash between home-town favourites Collingwood and the West Coast Eagles at the MCG. But even though there can be only one Grand Final winner – go […]
Solar and battery storage top Victorian election energy policy wish list: CEC
Targeted solar and battery storage initiatives top the Victorian election energy policy wish list from the Clean Energy Council (CEC). The independent body recommends solar for renters, new-build solar installations and battery subsidies for low-income households. According to CEC Chief Executive Kane Thornton, the state election in November is a great opportunity to extend Victoria’s […]
AGL firm on Liddell coal plant closure, despite government pressure
The fate of the Liddell coal-fired power station seems certain after owner AGL Energy confirmed it will close the facility in 2022. The statement was made by AGL Energy interim chief executive Brett Redman at the company’s AGM this week. It comes after months of pressure from the Coalition to keep the plant open. Redman […]
Soaring petrol prices spark interest in electric vehicles
Many small businesses are considering switching to electric vehicles as petrol prices in Australia reach a 10-year high. Companies are considering going electric as rising petrol prices drive the trend, reports the Sydney Morning Herald. According to Ryan Felsman, an economic analyst at Commsec, the stockbroking firm operated by the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, national […]
Goulburn community solar farm on hold, government indecision blamed
The 1.8 MW Goulburn Community Solar Farm is in limbo thanks to procrastination by state and federal governments, says a local clean energy group. Community Energy for Goulburn (CE4G) had been planning the project for four years. The aim was to build a 5,000 solar panel farm with a solar monitor on a 2.5 ha […]
Curtin University finds smarter way to turn solar energy into clean fuels
Researchers at WA’s Curtin University have developed a cheap, eco-friendly way to make solar hydrogen fuel from sunlight. The researchers used nanocrystals as highly efficient catalysts to transform sunlight into low-emission hydrogen. They describe their breakthrough in detail in the journal Advanced Materials. Previously, the only way to harvest solar energy for clean fuels was […]
SA Tesla Powerpack battery making money and reducing grid costs and emissions
South Australia’s giant Tesla Powerpack battery has recouped nearly 25 per cent of its initial investment. The battery cost around $91 million to build, and made $13 – $23 million within its first six months of operation, according to an Electrek report. This is expected to increase to $27 million by the end of its first […]
Award-winning Dubbo solar home uses Tesla Powerwall 2 battery
A building company in Dubbo says the Tesla Powerwall 2 battery in its new display home means the Dubbo solar home could potentially go off-grid. Award-winning Greenmark Homes installed a Tesla Powerwall 2 battery to boost the display home’s energy efficiency. Greenmark builder John O’Neil won the Master Builders Association (MBA) regional award for energy efficiency and […]
68 per cent of NSW residents want solar panels: Architects Board
Some 68 per cent of people in a NSW survey say they want solar panels on their home. A study commissioned by the NSW Architects Registration Board shows that solar gets the big tick. The study explores what ordinary Australians think makes a “great” building. Of the sustainable factors, 68 per cent of respondents said […]
Climate change protest: Tathra plans mega human sign this weekend
A NSW town devastated by bushfire is planning the largest human sign climate change protest ever staged in Australia. The local Clean Energy for Eternity (CEFE) group wants the town of Tathra on the Sapphire Coast (NSW’s far south coast) to send a strong message to federal politicians, claiming Canberra has let them down. The town […]