Employment

German discount supermarket chain Aldi has become the first Australian supermarket to commit to 100% renewable electricity by the end of 2021. To achieve this goal, Aldi’s longtime solar partner Epho Commercial Solar has refined its processes, managing to install 100 solar systems atop Aldi sites in 100 days.

Such is the Global Village effect that the more globalised we are the more localised we become. The impacts of a global pandemic have choked industries and driven us into self-isolation, but at the same time, we are seeing an acceleration in the ingenuity of sales efficiency in the solar industry and a realisation of the necessity of self-generation. Tie this up with a shift to local government action on renewables and sustainability and the global recovery from Covid-19 is very much a local affair.

As part of the state’s economic recovery plan, the Palaszczuk Government has committed $145 million for Renewable Energy Zones in north, central and south-west Queensland.

Western Australia’s Recovery Plan continues to grow greenery as more renewable aspects of the state’s stimulus package come to light, specifically solar light that is. The state government has committed $22 million toward nine green hydrogen initiatives across the state, while also bringing forward its Renewable Hydrogen Strategy targets a decade and topping up the green hydrogen fund.

The NSW Government has approved the development of the state’s first hydrogen gas facility at Horsley Park. The Western Sydney Green Gas Project will power local homes and businesses and supply hydrogen-powered vehicles.

COVID-19 has enhanced the conviction that Australia will benefit from advanced manufacturing and sovereign supply. Homegrown battery manufacturer Energy Renaissance is poised to drive home that advantage.

The Kimberley Recovery Plan spells out in regional focus the renewable energy investments heading to the Kimberley from the Western Australian Government’s $5.5 billion WA Recovery Plan. The Kimberley region is set for an injection of funds to help fortify a sustainable renewable energy sector, particularly for the uptake of residential rooftop solar and energy storage systems.

The Australian federal government is fast-tracking the world’s biggest solar and storage project in the sun-drenched Tennant Creek region that aims to power Darwin and export solar from the outback to Singapore and eventually Indonesia via a submarine transmission link.

A team of international researchers featuring ANU’s Prof Frank Jotzo has published a study on the ‘just transition’ from coal to renewable sources of energy. The paper looks at comparative examples of transitioning economies, taking account of political realities, and ultimately shows that a ‘just transition’ is just about the only transition worth having.

The Western Australian Government’s $5.5 billion WA Recovery Plan was released yesterday, the plan features $66.3 million in renewable energy investment, most of that to go on solar and batteries, along with a significant top up of the Clean Energy Future Fund.