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.
17 microgrid projects win government funding
The federal government has announced funding for a series of microgrid feasibility studies that will seek to unlock more secure, affordable, and reliable energy for regional and Indigenous communities.
ARENA receives overwhelming response to green hydrogen funding round
More than $3 billion of renewable hydrogen projects are vying for funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) to build the first commercial-scale projects in the country.
HomeBuilder misses a chance to make our homes perform better for us and the planet
The federal government’s new A$688 million HomeBuilder package might protect residential construction jobs but it’s a missed opportunity to deliver sustainability benefits that would save owners money in the long run.
A fern in its cap, NZ reforms Emissions Trading Scheme
With key decisions to be made about the economic recovery from the impacts of Covid-19, New Zealand is taking the high road. The New Zealand Government made significant reforms to its Emissions Trading Scheme, providing a long overdue cap and making progress on emissions reduction solutions for the agriculture industry.
Solar costs have fallen 82% since 2010
The levelized cost of energy generated by large scale solar plants is around $0.068/kWh, compared to $0.378 ten years ago and the price fell 13.1% between 2018 and last year alone, according to figures released by the International Renewable Energy Agency.
CEC publishes first ever national study of renewable energy workforce
The continuing dominance of the small-scale solar sector and the great potential for regional and rural jobs are just some of the findings in the Clean Energy Council’s “Clean Energy At Work”, a first-of-its-kind extensive report into the current renewable energy workforce and its potential over the next 10-15 years.
