Markets & Policy

ARENA has opened round two of its Future Fuels Program, allocating $127.9 million in funding to support fleets to shift to new zero emissions vehicles over the next four years, be that electric, hydrogen, or biofuels.

The Green Hydrogen Policy is designed to promote green hydrogen and green ammonia projects with provisions like a 25-year waiver of inter-state transmission system (ISTS) charges and ISTS connectivity priority for renewable energy capacity set up for the purpose.

Origin Energy’s announcement that it is accelerating the closure of Australia’s largest coal-fired power station has triggered calls for the Federal Government to develop a nationally co-ordinated approach to manage the retirement of fossil fuel generation as well as support investment in new clean energy generation.

The Australian arm of UK-based global fund manager Octopus Group has announced it will partner with Indigenous communities on plans for renewable energy projects it says could attract investments of as much as $50 billion over the next decade.

The Australian government’s green bank has announced the launch of its first specialist fund manager as it looks to increase the amount of investment capital available for clean energy start-ups that can help achieve net zero emissions.

One of Australia’s largest residential and commercial solar PV retailers and installers has announced it will exit the market, declaring low margins and once-in-a-generation disruptions to the supply chain brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic have taken a toll.

Two of Australia’s most prominent energy players, Fortescue Future Industries and oil and gas giant Woodside Energy have been included on a shortlist of potential development partners for a proposed 600MW green hydrogen production and export facility planned for New Zealand’s South Island.

British analyst GlobalData has predicted residential and commercial rooftop panels will not return to a declining price trend until next year, with post-Covid logistics headaches the cause, rather than a polysilicon shortage.

Renewable energy investors have again shattered the New South Wales Government’s expectations with more than 80 clean energy projects representing more than $100 billion of potential investment registering for the Hunter-Central Coast Renewable Energy Zone.

The Victorian government will be expanding its Solar Homes rebate program into the world of Virtual Power Plants (VPPs), announcing on Tuesday that households who install a battery and sign up to the pilot before July 2022 will receive a rebate of over $4000.