In what is being billed as Australia’s first off-grid, 100% renewable energy project in the oil and gas sector, Santos will power 56 crude oil pumps into solar and battery storage. The project has won a grant from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency.

A survey run by the Clean Energy Council among senior executives, leading with a combined net worth of more than $17 billion, shows that clean energy investment confidence is strong. The majority of companies are looking to put on extra staff in the next year. However, challenges in achieving project grid connection and policy uncertainty are causing great stress in the long run.

NSW’s University of Newcastle has signed a seven-year contract to cover 100% of its electricity needs across its Newcastle and Central Coast campuses with renewable energy, specifically a mix of solar, wind and hydro power.

Under a new Investment Mandate, the Morrison government has instructed the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) to support the development of a market for firming intermittent sources of renewable energy and to prioritise investments that support “more reliable, 24/7 power“.

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) is providing $1 million to Ausgrid to boost its innovative grant program for rooftop solar and energy efficient lighting. The program aims to reduce participating customer’s bills, as well as avoid costly network upgrades, in parts of Sydney with low renewables uptake.

After granting an approval for a major solar+storage project at Darlington Point this week, the New South Wales Department of Planning and Environment has greenlit two more utility-scale solar PV projects – the 170 MW Suntop Solar Farm and the 47 MW Gregadoo Solar Farm.

The New South Wales Department of Planning and Environment has given the green light to a massive solar farm coupled with a utility-scale energy storage facility. The project proposed by Edify Energy is valued at $407 million.

As part of its Roadmap to Renewables Plan and transition to 50% renewable energy by 2030, the NT government is set to roll out rooftop solar on up to 25 schools across the state over the next three years.

The New South Wales government has launched its ambitious pumped hydro roadmap designed to back the rising level of wind and solar in the energy mix. Meanwhile, the board of government-owned energy provider Snowy Hydro has given the green light to its landmark $4 billion pumped hydro expansion project, Snowy 2.0.

Perovskite solar cell specialist Greatcell Solar has failed to secured refinancing for its activities and has been forced to appoint administrators. The company lays the blame at the federal government’s door, pointing to the R&D rebate changes and policy settings that are unsupportive of renewable energy investment as the reasons behind its downfall.