Policy

Kalgoorlie-Boulder, in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia (WA), is set to receive the region’s first community battery. The WA Government-owned utility Western Power is looking to smooth out peak load periods by integrating the Tesla battery into the network.

A national Technology Investment Roadmap, which is intended to drive a successful shift to secure, more affordable energy and lower emissions, has flagged support for new gas investments, carbon capture and storage, and “emerging nuclear technologies”. The long-awaited document has prompted a flurry of reactions.

In the face of renewed political polarisation on the both Federal energy policy and Australia’s economic recovery from the impact of Covid-19, Warringah MP Zali Steggall has called for a Roundtable in which both public and private sector voices of the nation can better vet potential projects.

As the fossil fuel industry applauds new legislative changes proposed by the Morrison government, which would pave the way for coal and gas projects to tap clean energy finance, environmental groups are shaking their heads in disbelief at the government’s lack of initiative to deliver a sensible climate policy. More than ever before, the fate of the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) and the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) is at stake.

The Greens released their plan for Australia’s economic recovery from the Covid-19 crisis this week. The plan looks to invest heavily in renewable infrastructure, a cunningly rational ploy to solve a few crises at once.

Much has been made of the Covid-19 lockdown cutting global carbon emissions. Energy use has fallen over recent months as the pandemic keeps millions of people confined to their homes, and businesses closed in many countries. Projections suggest global emissions could be around 5% lower in 2020 than last year.

The new legislation will clear the way for a new carbon and capture storage project in Victoria and create new jobs and opportunities for coal in the region, undermining the efforts to create a green hydrogen economy in Australia.

Youth Verdict have lodged legal action against Waratah Coal’s Galilee Coal Project on the grounds that it infringes their human rights. The jurisprudence of climate change human rights is new to Australia, but Clive Palmer’s recent behaviour suggests he’s worried.

After tough years of drought and flood, The Gascoyne Junction Tourist Park in Gascoyne Junction, Western Australia, has been decimated by the impact of Covid-19 on the tourist industry. Struggling to pay its bills, the WA Govt is stepping in to help fund a solar upgrade, a saving grace.

To help achieve its global-leading renewable energy target of 200% by 2040, the Tasmanian government has released the draft Renewable Energy Action Plan.