Policy

The Australian Capital Territory’s latest Feed-in Tarrif report found that Canberrans are increasingly contributing to their territory’s 100% renewable energy supply thanks to the increasing uptake of rooftop solar.

Looking back over years of research into the topic of hybrid systems based on different combinations of solar, wind, hydro and other renewables, an international group of scientists found strong potential for strategies to exploit complementarity between the different sources integrate more intermittent renewables onto regional and national grids. The scientists present a series of conclusions and recommendations that aim to push research in hybrid renewables forward.

Wood Mackenzie’s Asia Pacific predictions for the energy market in 2021 are in. The firms analysts see wind and solar continuing to grow throughout the region driven by China, but notes that gas and coal aren’t going anywhere fast.

Origin Energy has announced the progression of plans for a 700 MW megabattey with a dispatch duration of four hours at the site of its Eraring coal generator in the NSW Hunter region. The ageing Eraring Power Station is Australia’s largest, supplying approximately a quarter of NSW’s energy needs, and set to retire in 2032.

Energy Security Board Chair, Dr Kerry Schott, says Australia’s NEM is “no longer fit for purpose,” urging governments and market bodies to make “tough, united, decisions” to address lingering problems.

Australia needs an orderly, least-cost, lowest-disruption transition to renewable energy. Set a target. Retire coal. Support displaced workers. Get it done. The Blueprint Institute’s new report is surely 2020’s last logical word in calling the Federal Coalition to action.

The Australian Energy Market Commission’s latest annual Residential Electricity Price Trends report shows costs reducing as renewable build out replaces inefficient coal-fired generation, and more lowest-cost renewable supply is on the way.

Soon 2020 will only be a worry to future high-school history students. But when they ask us if anything good at all happened in 2020, remember this review and tell them that solar PV shone in the darkness. Despite the mess of it all, 2020 has been another good year for Australian solar. The industry has demonstrated resilience, and significant progress has been made in the fields of energy storage, green hydrogen and others.

South Australia could generate five times more renewable energy than the state currently demands by 2050, positioning itself as a national and even international exporter of clean energy. The SA government today released its climate Action Plan, adding to the chorus of state announcements.

The Chinese leader has revealed some details of his nation’s commitment to go carbon neutral by 2060. That solar and wind power promise could even prove to be a conservative estimate, according to the nation’s solar industry.