Small Business Ombudsman urges government to adopt Finkel Review
The Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman wants the Federal Government to adopt the recommendations of the Finkel Review. The agency called for a bipartisan approach to energy policy to avoid job losses and business closures. Ombudsman Kate Carnell says the small business sector could be crippled by rising electricity costs and reduced reliability. Ms Carnell said […]
Australian Energy Regulator welcomes federal funding boost
The Australian Government will increase funding to the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) by $67.4 million over the next four years. The funding increase, which begins July 1 2017, was announced this week. Making the announcement, the Turnbull Government added: “Every decision we make in the energy sector is designed to ease pressure on household bills […]
Australians want government support for electric vehicles
Fifty per cent of Australians say they would buy an electric vehicle, according to a new report commissioned by the Electric Vehicle Council. ClimateWorks Australia prepared the ‘State of Electric Vehicles Report’ for the Electric Vehicle Council. The report also found that nearly 70 per cent of consumers would buy an electric vehicle with the […]
Bloomberg predicts 34% global renewable energy use by 2040
Bloomberg’s New Energy Outlook 2017 (NEO) report says renewable energy generation will account for a third of the world’s power by 2040. The NEO outlook says wind and solar will account for 48% of installed capacity and 34% of electricity generation world-wide by 2040. It compares this to just 12% and 5% respectively in use today. […]
Electricity costs set to soar as big three announce price hikes
In a move that will hurt consumers, AGL, Origin Energy and Energy Australia have all announced price rises for the 1st of July this year with small business and consumers set to be the worst off. As reported by the ABC and News.com AGL customers in the ACT will be hit the hardest as they […]
Bundaberg, solar capital of Australia?
With a stellar year of growth in solar for the city of Bundaberg the town’s mayor believes they may soon be able to hold the crown as the country’s solar capital. Bundaberg Regional Council has had its Clean Energy Bundaberg strategy in place since 2014 and since then has focused on bringing the town long […]
Queensland amends law to stop exploitation of Solar Bonus Scheme
The Queensland Government says a legislative amendment will prevent exploitation of its Solar Bonus Scheme. Energy Minister Mark Bailey introduced a bill on June 15 to limit the amount of energy solar power consumers can feed into the main grid. The new legislation puts a limit on the maximum output of the customer’s qualifying generator. This will stop installation of […]
Clean Energy Summit powers Australia’s future
The 2017 Australian Clean Energy Summit will be held July 18-19 at the Hilton Hotel in Sydney. The Summit is the premier event helping to lead Australia’s energy transformation. The agenda includes two days of sessions where heads of industry, government and finance meet. Attendees share the models, trends and technology innovations that they’re leveraging to […]
Australian Solar race grows in global interest
In its 30th year the annual World Solar Challenge 2017 from October 8th to 15th is in Australia with the race set to take place between Darwin and Adelaide. The 3000 km race which is described by event organizers as the “adventure of a lifetime” allows teams to show off their solar creations in one […]
Powering Queensland Plan: $771 million for solar bonus scheme
The latest State Budget sets aside $1.16 billion for Queensland renewable energy initiatives. The 2017-18 Budget includes the Powering Queensland Plan that focuses on “an affordable, secure and sustainable energy supply”. Energy Minister Mark Bailey said the Palaszczuk Government is committed to reducing cost-of-living pressures for Queenslanders. “A clean energy boom is happening in Queensland,” […]