Finance

Call it “latent energy” – Australia’s renewable resources are expected to help some of the world’s greatest polluters to reach their net-zero emissions targets, writes Natalie Filatoff, senior editor at pv magazine Australia.

Evoenergy has blamed the Australian Capital Territory’s renewable energy targets for its proposed price hike, which would see average residential customers pay around 40% more for network charges, amounting to around $280 per year.

Insurance premiums for renewable energy projects are likely to increase again this year, as a joint report from insurance specialists finds the sector continues to underperform from an insurance perspective.

Australia’s first renewables brokering service, Teho, aims to tie together the disparate industry threads of solar, batteries, EVs and renewable energy retailers and simplify the path towards renewables for everyday people. Pv magazine Australia spoke to the two brothers behind the business, Jonathan and David Green (yes, that really is their surname), about the gap in the market they seek to tap.

MinterEllison’s second annual ‘Renewables Investment Report’ finds that over the past year Australia has become a safe haven for investment… The maturity of its renewable opportunities seems to outweigh existing challenges. 

Renewable electricity will be linked to 90% of the actions needed to remove carbon emissions in 2050, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency, and the biggest volume of generation capacity will be provided by solar.

Earlier this month, London-based Eco Energy World announced a $500 million project to combine its ready to build 300 MW solar plant north of Gladstone, Queensland, with a 200 MW hydrogen plant and 100 MW of battery energy storage. pv magazine Australia sat down with EEW CEO Svante Kumlin to discuss the project, the green hydrogen future, and Australia’s future in it.

Rooftops will have to supply a third of the 524 GW of solar generation capacity needed by 2045 to reach a zero-carbon economy by mid century, according to an academic paper. The researchers also suggested green hydrogen should not play a central role in the nation’s energy transition.

Award-winning and globally recognised Four Pillars gin distillery, which produces its premium product in Healesville, Victoria, has utilised Sustainable Australia Fund low-interest financing to solar power its stills, save money, and take a load off the grid and the environment.

The Queensland Government-owned energy company, Stanwell Corporation, has announced it is from today seeking expressions of interest from renewable energy projects to incorporate into its fossil-fuel heavy portfolio.