South Australia Home Battery Scheme – up to $6,000 subsidy on battery costs
Home battery subsidies of up to $6,000 will help South Australians install solar energy storage. The Marshall Liberal Government officially announced the $100 million Home Battery Scheme on the weekend. The scheme is due to start in October this year. Up to 40,000 households will be able to access solar installations and home battery storage. […]
Australia bucks climate change consensus at Pacific Islands Forum in Nauru
Climate change is our region’s single greatest threat, according to a declaration by Pacific Islands Forum members. However, Australia tried to water down this key climate change statement at the regional forum in Nauru this week, the Guardian reports. Tuvalu Prime Minister Enele Sopoaga revealed that resistance to the climate change statement came from a country […]
Origin Energy launches 5 MW virtual power plant in Victoria
Origin Energy has announced plans to build a 5 MW virtual power plant (VPP) connecting 650 Victorian residents with solar PV and home battery systems. Victoria’s Labor Government provided $4.5 million to support the project and the grant forms part of Labor’s $10 million Microgrid Demonstration Initiative. The plan is to build a further eight microgrids […]
Solar Homes rebate ‘early Christmas present’ for Victorian households
Delighted Campbells Creek resident Terry Murphy says the new Victorian Solar Homes rebate is an “early Christmas present”. Murphy installed a 4 kW solar panel system at his home, just south of Bendigo, after hearing about the state government solar rebate scheme from community solar advocates More Australian Solar Homes (MASH). MASH and similar organisations […]
Coffs Harbour climate action group goes bananas at PM’s Big Battery dis
A Coffs Harbour solar and climate action group will send a message to Prime Minister Scott Morrison this weekend, which they say is payback for a disparaging comment he made about renewable energy last year. Morrison’s past attitude to renewables has included bringing a lump of coal into Parliament and likening South Australia’s Big Battery […]
Russian arms manufacturer Kalashnikov creates retro-styled electric vehicle
The Russian firearms firm that produces the AK-47 assault rifle has launched its first electric vehicle. The Russian electric vehicle is gunning to compete with Elon Musk’s California-based Tesla, the largest and highest profile of the non fossil fuel powered automobile manufacturers. With Tesla cars having a range of about 500 km and a capability […]
Smart solar street lights reduce emissions and cut local council costs
A new generation of LED solar street lights is helping local governments make smarter choices about their energy use. That’s one of the reports from the 2018 Smart City Expo held in Melbourne this week. LED developer Matthew Jones told Government News that because street lights are the single largest source of emissions from local […]
Queensland close to 90 per cent renewable energy if government steps up: Green Energy Markets
Queensland’s clean energy pipeline could deliver 90 per cent renewable power if the government gives its full support, a new report claims. The state’s wind and solar power industries are booming. However, a further 69 renewable projects may not go ahead, according to the ‘Renewable Energy across Queensland’s Regions’ report. Green Energy Markets produced the […]
Solar energy can reduce gas reliance of Australian industry: CEFC
Solar energy can help cut Australian industry energy costs by reducing our reliance on gas. The new resource — ‘Australian Manufacturing: Gas Efficiency Guide’ — is a joint publication of the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC), the Energy Efficiency Council and the Australian Industry Group (Ai Group). It claims major efficiency improvements are achievable by ‘fuel shifting’ […]
Full charge ahead for ‘Battery of the Nation’ says Tasmanian government
The Federal Government will continue to support the Tasmanian Battery of the Nation project, according to the state’s Energy Minister. Guy Barnett told ABC Radio Hobart assurances had been received from new Federal Energy Minister Angus Taylor that the Coalition will continue exploring opportunities for pumped hydro and further electricity interconnection with the mainland. Pumped hydro […]