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Markets & Policy

Priorities elsewhere: Qcells exits Australian market

Korean solar module maker Qcells informed its local team this week that its Australian subsidiary will be closed. The decision reflects on the highly competitive Australian solar marketplace and the company’s strategic decision to focus on the United States, Europe, and its home market of Korea.

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Corporate PPAs hit record high in 2023, says BloombergNEF

BloombergNEF says in a new report that corporations publicly announced 46 GW of solar and wind power purchase agreements (PPAs) in 2023, up 12% year on year. It says the increase was driven by a surge of activity in Europe.

Queensland government to legislate 75% emissions reduction target

The Miles government in Queensland introduced legislation to state parliament today to formalize its emissions reduction target. The move takes the form of the Clean Economy Jobs Bill, which the state’s energy minister says will help create 100,000 new jobs.

The path beyond 5 TW

With the COP28 climate summit in Dubai resulting in a pledge of at least 11 TW of renewables generation capacity by 2030, Bruce Douglas, chief executive officer (CEO) of the Global Renewables Alliance (GRA), examines the outcomes of the conference and their likely impact on the solar industry.

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Downed Vic power lines spark debate

Six electricity transmission towers in Victoria collapsed on Tuesday, Feb. 13. As a result, there were “widespread power outages” and extremely high power prices – with coal-fired generator Loy Yang A forced to shut down and disconnect from the grid.

Snapshot of anti-renewables rally at Parliament House

A little over one week ago, a collection of anti-renewable energy protesters rolled into Canberra, calling for a slowdown – if not halt – in renewable energy development. Attendees to the Rally Against Reckless Renewables also conveyed messages on vaccines and the World Health Organisation, the “Great Reset”, the United Nations, and other conspiracy minded themes.

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Weekend Read: Blackouts trigger a PV pivot

Decades of mismanagement have eroded trust in South Africa’s state-owned energy utility, Eskom. Last year, households and businesses suffered daily blackouts of up to 10 hours, or even longer. Solar and battery energy storage are booming but a domestic PV manufacturing industry has yet to materialize.

Bowen says coalition ‘whipping up community concern’ over renewables, energy transition

Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen has accused the Liberal and National parties of fomenting community opposition to renewable energy development, in a webinar hosted by Smart Energy Council today. Bowen warned the “fight isn’t over the and stakes are very high,” at the next election for Australia’s energy transition.

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Entering the renewables era

Following strong global solar installation figures in 2023, Alexa Capital co-founder and partner Gerard Reid sees enormous potential for a renewables revolution.

Communities rally to say ‘yes to renewables’

Renewable energy supporters and unions were activated last weekend to attend simultaneous family events in Wollongong and Newcastle, NSW, Gippsland and Portland, Victoria, and Gladstone, Queensland in support of solar, wind, and large scale energy storage. The events stood in contrast to growing community resistance to renewables and electricity transmission projects.

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