Markets & Policy

Under the new planning mechanism adopted by the Victorian government, permits will be required for the power lines that connect new large-scale wind and solar generators to the grid. The public will be involved in the process of deciding power line routes.

While it managed to gain past financial backing from the state government despite uncertainty surrounding its landmark wave energy project, the troubled WA-based renewable energy developer has suffered another blow last week. Trading of Carnegie shares has been suspended from the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX).

Summer is notionally over and analysts at Rystad Energy have coolly assessed the coming year into 2020; in Sydney the Rystad team convened an experienced panel of market participants to give their take on what solar developers, EPCs, investors, equipment suppliers and skill seekers can expect in months to come.

According to the 2018 data from the Clean Energy Regulator, the LGCs surrender shortfall stood at 13.9% of total liability as 17 entities failed to meet more or equal to 10% of their renewable energy target obligations, including major electricity retailers – Alinta, Lumo Energy, Simply Energy and EnergyAustralia.

Professor Thomas Maschmeyer and his team of researchers at Sydney Uni spin-off Gelion Technologies have developed a scalable, inexpensive zinc-bromine battery, they say is safe for home storage, remotely serviceable for far-flung solar installations, and cool under pressure.

In a flurry of funding announcements, the Coalition government pledged to underpin two major pumped hydro projects, an interconnector and an energy efficiency program, and tried to move forward a hydrogen export roadmap and a national strategy for electric vehicles. However, if it truly wants to refashion itself on climate and energy policy and realize any of these massive new opportunities, the government will need to reshuffle the nation’s energy mix towards a greener future .

U.S.-based hedge fund Magnetar Capital, a 25% investor in a Lyon subsidiary, is seeking to wind up the group’s solar and storage unit, in a case before the Supreme Court of New South Wales. Lyon is looking for ways to buy out Magnetar’s share.

From 1 July this year, the single minimum price Victoria’s solar households will receive for the power they export to the grid will increase by two cents per kilowatt hour. However, under the time-varying tariff introduced last year, the peak rate tariff has been slashed by half.

As climate change and energy security penetrate NSW political parties as potent issues in the upcoming State election, NSW Labor has upped the ante in the policy contest by setting a renewable energy target that could see 50% of the state’s electricity generated from renewable sources by 2030.

The latest report from The Australia Institute corroborates solar’s pivotal role in shaving peak demand, particularly in the event of extreme conditions as seen in January. Renewables performed the best of all energy sources during the record-breaking summer of heatwaves, while coal clunkers were operating well below capacity, the findings confirm.