The Australian Capital Territory government has unveiled plans to phase out the use of fossil gas by 2045 at the latest and move the market towards a net zero emissions future by “electrifying Canberra with renewable electricity over the next two decades”.

New South Wales has given the green light for another large-scale solar PV and battery project with German-owned renewable energy developer Wirsol Energy announcing it has secured amended development approval for a 445 MW solar and energy storage hybrid power plant in the state’s central west.

New legislation to enshrine Australia’s 2030 and 2050 emissions reduction targets into law has cleared the first hurdle with the Federal Government’s climate change bill passing through the parliament’s lower house.

Just days after Genex Power rejected a proposed $300 million takeover offer, claiming it undervalues the company, the developer’s 50 MW Kidston Solar Farm has once again been ranked Australia’s best performing large-scale PV asset.

After a decade of climate policy failure, Wednesday brought good news and slightly less good news for Australian action on climate change.

Malaysia’s largest electricity provider Tenaga Nasional Berhad has announced plans to fast track the closure of its coal-fired power plants to hasten the transition of its generation fleet from fossil fuels to renewable sources including large-scale solar PV and green hydrogen.

The Australian Energy Market Operator has declared skyrocketing power prices and unprecedented market disruptions have confirmed the “urgent” need for the nation to fast-track its transition from a coal-dominated system to renewables, including wind and solar PV backed by batteries and other energy storage technologies.

International mining giant BHP has pushed forward with its first large-scale off-grid renewable energy project, installing the first solar PV panels at a 10.7 MW solar farm that will help power the company’s estimated $1 billion Nickel West mining operation in regional Western Australia.

Network operator Transgrid has completed a $236 million upgrade to the Queensland-New South Wales Interconnector to facilitate the increased flow of electricity between the two states and reduce constraints on the New South Wales transmission network.

The Queensland government has exceeded its own expectations with 200,000 PV panels installed at more than 900 schools across the state as part of a $168 million solar installation program designed to help slash electricity costs and cut carbon emissions.