More than half of the Victoria’s local councils will soon be powered by renewable energy after they signed up to the largest emissions reduction project yet undertaken by local government in Australia.

South Australia’s transition to a renewable energy future has taken another step forward with Australian Gas Network’s Hydrogen Park South Australia production facility now online, delivering green hydrogen into its gas distribution network in Adelaide.

Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese has outlined his plan for Australia to “emerge as a renewable energy superpower,” underwritten by a $100 million initiative to fund apprenticeships in new energy jobs including solar, large-scale renewable projects, green hydrogen and renewable manufacturing.

Australia’s first 100% electric hospital will be built in Adelaide with the South Australian Government announcing that the new $685 million Women’s and Children’s Hospital will operate without input from the state’s mains gas network.

British-headquartered solar developer Lightsource BP has received approval to develop a 600 MWdc solar PV hub in central western New South Wales which the company said could become the largest renewable energy power hub in the state.

New South Wales is leading the rooftop solar PV race with homeowners in the state installing more than 100,000 systems in 2020 according to the CSIRO following a detailed analysis of data released by the Clean Energy Regulator.

Solar Citizens has warned the Australian Energy Market Commission’s controversial proposal to make solar PV owners pay to export their surplus production to the grid could send the National Electricity Market into a ‘death spiral’.

Australian renewable energy developer Vast Solar is calling for expressions of interest from contractors as it pushes ahead with plans to develop a $600 million hybrid solar thermal project in far western Queensland.

Solar retailer Smart Energy believes Australia’s small-scale solar PV industry has been let down by the Federal Government which has been widely criticised for the lack of funding included in the Federal Budget for the renewable energy sector.

Record investment in solar and wind farms across the National Electricity Market has helped to quell concerns that Victoria and South Australia will face increased risk of blackouts later this decade following the impending closure of the Yallourn coal-fired power plant.