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.
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.
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.
Fluence broadens storage strategy with optimisation software
Global energy storage technology company Fluence has more than 1 GW of battery projects operating or under construction in Australia and it is now broadening its strategy beyond hardware to include optimising asset performance and servicing.
Commissioning process spoils improvements in solar project timelines
Australia’s energy transition risks falling behind with a new report showing that the time required to plan, build and commission a large-scale solar farm is almost four years with the final stage of the process having blown out to six months or more.
Transgrid unveils preferred route for VNI West project
Transgrid has released details of its preferred route for the northern portion of the VNI West interconnector project that will connect the New South Wales and Victoria electricity grids.
Amber eyes international market after $29 million raise
Commonwealth Bank-backed energy retailer and technology company Amber Electric has raised $29 million (USD 18.9 million) in capital that is earmarked to scale the business in Australia and to take its battery and electric vehicle automation software offshore.
Elgin gets go-ahead for Glanmire solar and storage project
Elgin Energy’s Glanmire solar farm and battery energy storage system planned for the New South Wales Central Tablelands region has been given the tick of approval by the state’s Independent Planning Commission – subject to “strict” conditions set in recognition of community concerns.
