Policy

After being ignored by the Federal Government, Queensland has announced a $500 million Renewable Energy Fund for state-owned energy corporations to invest in commercial renewable project and infrastructure, a particular complement to QLD’s three pending Renewable Energy Zones.

Solar Citizens, the Queensland Council of Social Service (QCOSS) and Queensland Conservation Council have come together to propose a $215 million initiative to the Queensland Government which would see 50 MW of solar installed across more than 50,000 social dwellings to help households save on their energy bills in these tough economic times.

With more than 2.2 million households catching the sun under rooftop PV, and 10 GW of grid-scale renewable generators connected to the NEM over the past decade, Australia’s energy system urgently needs to evolve new market mechanisms that support reliability throughout the transition to a low-carbon electricity supply. The Energy Security Board today published proposed reforms that promise to develop a framework fit for the 21st century.

The Clean Energy Regulator puts an optimistic spin on solar development in its Quarterly Carbon Market Report for the second quarter of this year. Angus Taylor opportunistically leaps on the news. But with 28.4 GWac of renewable projects seeking connection, investors take matters into their own hands.

New analysis from The Australian National University along with recently published figures from the Clean Energy Regulator demonstrate that Australia remains the world leader in wind and solar deployment per capita, particularly rooftop PV. However, federal policy is failing to invest in desperately needed infrastructural upgrades.

Australian mining giant BHP has signed a five-year power purchase agreement with CleanCo as it looks to cut emissions from its electricity use at its QLD coal mines by 50% by 2025. The agreement relies on a variety of energy sources, including gas, at least until the Western Downs Green Power Hub comes online in late 2022. Critics have described the deal as “greenwashing”.

The Federal Government’s Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility is backing Melbourne-based investment firm Merricks Capital to the tune of $37 million for the construction of a 10 MW solar farm and a 12 MW gas power plant south of Darwin. The twin projects are set to be the first privately owned and operated energy projects in the Territory.

The 50% expansion of Neoen’s Hornsdale Power Reserve, otherwise known as the Tesla Big Battery, has been successfully completed. If testing of the upgraded battery goes well, Hornsdale could begin to function with an expanded remit of synthetic inertia services, a capability which could have significant impact on regulatory changes.

The German government is planning to tender 5.3 GW in the rooftop segment and 13.5 GW for large-scale PV projects.

The University of Sydney’s recently released Climate Statement makes a raft of commitments across a range of sustainability fronts, most notably a commitment to source 100% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2025 and reach net zero emissions by 2030. However, Australia’s oldest university is still under pressure to divest from fossil fuels.