Policy

The Grattan Institute has warned that surging small-scale solar system installations are depressing midday wholesale electricity prices – giving reason for subsidies to be cut and putting downward pressure of residential PV FITs. Green Energy Markets’ Tristan Edis says the level of solar generation is not yet a problem, and that simple solutions to absorb solar energy during the day are at hand.

The Energy Security Board released its consultation paper on the National Energy Guarantee at the end of last week. Olivia Kember from clean energy advisory Energetics investigates what the emerging policy details reveal about the policy as a means of facilitating emission reductions and spurring innovation.

Australia’s large-scale and rooftop solar PV sectors now employ over 10,000 people. The findings were published today in Green Energy Market’s Renewable Energy Index for January 2018.

As the deployment of large scale renewable energy projects picked up the pace in 2017, the 2020 Renewable Energy Target of 33,000 GWh has been put within reach. The Clean Energy Regulator has reported “a healthy surplus” of renewable energy certificates in the Renewable Energy Target market.

The South Australian Labor Party has increased its Renewable Energy Target to 75% by 2025. It also plans to introduce a target of meeting 25% of the state’s peak electricity demand with stored renewables – equating to 750 MW of storage capacity.  

1,200%. According to Bloomberg New Energy Finance, that’s how high imports of Chinese modules rose in the fourth quarter last year, in a desperate attempt to stockpile sufficient numbers before tariffs choked off international supplies.

Onshore wind and solar PV will go head-to-head for the first time in a new 200 MW tender in Germany. Bids for solar PV ground-mounted projects and onshore wind farms can be submitted to the Federal Network Agency by April 3.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) has delivered its latest detailed energy policy review to the Australian Federal Government. It points to changing policy at the Federal level as having failed Australia’s energy transition and consumers, and argues for the need for a framework to be put in place for 2030.

The NSW government doubled the number of approved utility-scale solar projects in the previous year, and got off to a promising start to 2018.

Issuing a call for action, a report commissioned by the Association of Mining and Exploration Companies outlines Australia’s opportunity to expand along the estimated $2 trillion lithium chain in the next two years.