Markets & Policy

A market reform more than four years in the making is set to be introduced in less than 30 days with the Australian Energy Market Operator this week confirming the five-minute settlement period will come into effect on October 1, 2021.

With 370 of its most beloved athletes lambasting the country’s climate inaction on the same day its coal-loving base was revealed to be little more than a mirage, the Morrison government must front up to both its own people and global peers as elections and summits loom.

The Victorian government has launched its second Victorian Renewable Energy Target auction, aiming to attract “at least” 600 MW of new renewable energy capacity to the state.

Australia’s solar uptake is now forecast to reach 8.9 GW by 2025, on top of the 14 GW already installed, according to the Australian Electricity Market Operator.

Genex Power’s latest annual report makes inspiring reading, with its plans for repurposing of the Kidston Gold Mine into a renewable energy hub progressing through stages. Its Jemalong solar farm is also delivering to plan — what then of the write down?

It’s not just big companies that are benefiting from digitisation and data analytics. Today sees the rollout of a new optimising algorithmic marvel that easily shows solar PV owners which of a myriad of constantly changing retail energy plans will save them the most on their electricity bill. No need to die wondering!

Debate on independent MP Dr Helen Haines’ Australian Local Power Agency Bill 2021, which seeks to anchor the benefits of renewables projects in their hosting regions, will be informed by Friday’s parliamentary committee hearing of submissions on the proposed legislation. A number of valid discussion points have been raised.

The sky is the limit. Fortunately, this expression does not apply to current prices for PV panels, which have recently declined, following a continuous rise since the beginning of the year. Whether this situation holds, or whether prices drop further in the coming months is hard to say at the moment, writes Martin Schachinger of pvXchange. Polysilicon prices and thus wafer and cell prices could be in for a slight decline. However, a decisive movement in module prices in general is unlikely before the fourth quarter.

Lithium-ion batteries remain the front-runner to power EVs, but without clearer recycling plans from the European Union and the United States, the balance isn’t yet tipped away from heavy mining of new materials to focus on supplying industry needs, writes Ian Morse.

AUSTRALIA’S largest planned Renewable Energy Zone has been ‘swamped’ by investors with the New South Wales government revealing that more than 80 new solar, wind and energy storage projects, totalling a massive 34 GW, had been proposed for the New England region.