Markets & Policy

Building clean-tech manufacturing in Australia could generate $215 billion in domestic revenue and create 53,000 new jobs by 2035, according to a new report published by independent think tank Beyond Zero Emissions.

Fast-track approvals legislation in New Zealand is catching the eye of renewable energy investors in Australia amid concerns that bureaucratic red tape is impacting the timely delivery of key clean energy generation and storage projects.

Modelling by The Australia Institute asserts that if the country’s commercial and institutional buildings shifted just one third of their electricity consumption to the middle of the day when there is a peak in solar supply it would deliver new peak capacity in the energy market of almost 12 GW.

Australia’s Department of Defence has activated its largest solar farm yet, flicking the switch on an almost 11 MW PV power plant at the Robertson Barracks in the Northern Territory.

Victorian government-owned water authority GWMWater is branching into large-scale renewable energy generation with construction set to begin on a 6.5 MW solar array and battery energy storage system near the town of Nhill in the state’s west.

Former Australian prime minister Julia Gillard has been named chair of a multi-billion renewable energy fund that is aiming to build a 15 GW portfolio of assets including wind, solar, and battery storage over the medium term.

More than 6,000 homes and businesses in Western Australia’s Kimberley now have the option to install rooftop PV with regional energy provider Horizon Power confirming that its Smart Connect Solar technology that removes network hosting capacity constraints is now available in the town of Broome.

The federal and state governments are stepping up their investments as they seek to deliver the army of skilled workers required to build the solar and wind farms, rooftop solar, battery storage and transmission infrastructure needed to achieve Australia’s renewable energy and emissions targets.

An ‘Australian first’ demonstration of aggregated flexible demand in residential settings will be rolled out in South Australia with the state’s principle electricity distributor to deliver smart energy upgrades for 500 households as part of a pilot program that aims to coordinate power usage to better support the grid.

Two Victorian energy companies are putting their know-how to the test by using technology to solve flexible demand issues for residential, commercial, and industrial customers, with the aim of matching variable energy sources like rooftop solar, to supply and demand.