Employment

As the nation looks to foster the perfect conditions for a successful renewable transition, overwhelming attention is being paid to the number of new energy developments and the viability of transmission infrastructure to deliver it to Australian homes. Far less publicised are the practicalities of how the infrastructure will be developed and by whom.

The traditional owners of Yindjibarndi lands in Western Australia have struck a deal with Philippines-based energy giant ACEN Corporation to develop more than 3 GW of wind, solar and battery storage in the state’s Pilbara region.

A time-motion study by United States Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory shows that retrofitting installations of roof-integrated PV takes 7% less labour time than standard solar installations. For new construction, the installation time drops by 44%.

A Victorian solar installer that ignored a seven-metre fall risk on a job site in Geelong has been convicted and ordered to pay almost $40,000 after pleading guilty to three charges under the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

With the challenges associated with solar waste becoming increasingly significant, the New South Wales government has released an issues paper seeking to identify new economic value in the renewable energy transition while also ensuring the rollout of clean energy technologies is as environmentally sustainable as possible.

Australia’s capacity to achieve its renewable energy targets is under a cloud with a report published by the federal government-funded Reliable Affordable Clean Energy for 2030 Cooperative Research Centre warning a shortage of workers could cripple the electricity sector transition.

The Australian government will commence talks with investors and industry this week on the formation of a $15 billion (USD 10.2 billion) national reconstruction fund that aims to boost investment in onshore manufacturing, including the production of solar panels, batteries and hydrogen electrolysers, and components for wind turbines.

New releases, a confluence of auspicious milestones, and output growing by gigawatts gave Trina Solar in Australia cause to celebrate at All-Energy this week.

Former Northern Territory chief minister Michael Gunner plans to focus on developing “world-changing, economy building” clean energy projects in Australia’s north after accepting a new role with mining magnate Andrew Forrest’s renewable energy company Fortescue Future Industries.

A new report published by the International Energy Agency shows solar PV provided employment for approximately 3.4 million people in 2021 with almost half of the workers employed in China, about 280,000 in North America, over 260,000 in Europe, and some 50,000 in Africa. The vast majority of workers were employed in manufacturing and installation of new capacity, with solar jobs paying lower wage premiums than the nuclear, oil, and gas industries.