QLD green lights $23M Renewable Energy Training Facility
The Queensland Government’s “Unite and Recover” phase of its response to the economic impact of Covid-19 includes $17 million in funding for a Renewable Energy Training Facility in Brisbane. The Sunshine State seems to be realising its solar future.
New Battery Performance Standard proposed for Australia, and possibly the world
A new Battery Performance Standard for residential and small-scale commercial applications has finally been submitted to Standards Australia. If adopted, the standard could clarify consumer confusion around which energy storage system is right for them.
NT to reform its electricity market for transition to solar
The Northern Territory Government has announced a Reform Program, an itinerary of electricity market changes to take place in the near future in order to better integrate renewable energies, particularly solar.
Analyst expects ‘unprecedented’ consolidation of Chinese solar industry
Private PV manufacturers and project developers alike are set to be squeezed out by the state in the world’s biggest solar market, according to Frank Haugwitz, who has compiled a wide-ranging report as preparations for the next five-year plan gather pace.
QLD Govt backs renewable energy hub to empower western economies
The Palaszczuk Government is helping to fund a feasibility study into the proposed Barcaldine Renewable Energy Hub, a project with the potential to revolutionise the economy of the state’s south-west and turbo-charge the post-Covid-19 economic recovery.
AEMC approves landmark wholesale demand response to improve reliability and reduce prices
Large energy consumers will be allowed into the wholesale market and paid for reducing their power usage at times of peak demand under a new rule that will be introduced next year.
Solar Trees grow in Townsville
Townsville in North Queensland is set to receive two new ‘solar trees’ as part of a beautification project designed to connect the city’s new stadium precinct with its CBD as the regional city looks to boost its economic recovery from the impacts of Covid-19.
VIC MP lambasts Melbourne-centric Solar Homes program
Nationals’ Victoria Murray Plains MP Peter Walsh has launched a criticism of the Labor Andrews Government Solar Homes program for its alleged Melbourne-centrism in overlooking his electorate entirely in relation to his battery storage rebate.
Predatory ‘buy now pay later’ solar sales practices taken to Competition Tribunal
The Australian Competition Tribunal is currently hearing arguments on a proposed code that would apply to the ‘buy now pay later’ sales practices of solar panel and installations. It is being argued that the practices are a form of predatory lending.
Historic-low interest rates will power ahead astonishing solar cost reductions
An Ieefa report has suggested the cost of generating electricity from solar will be near zero in the world’s sunniest regions by 2030-40 – despite what the naysayers at the International Energy Agency might think.
