Federal funding boosts Queensland local renewable energy zone program
The Queensland government’s plan to establish Local Renewable Energy Zones in the regional centres of Caloundra and Townsville has received a funding boost with the federal government to tip in an additional $21.2 million to expand the projects’ solar capacity by an additional 10.6 MW.
Horizon taps Pacific to power Exmouth with 80% renewables
Remote power supplier Pacific Energy has signed a multi-year agreement with West Australian regional energy provider Horizon Power to supply the popular tourist town of Exmouth with up to 80% renewable energy every year for the next 20 years.
UK developer seeks EPBC approval for 2.5 GWh Victorian battery
Plans to develop a 2.5 GWh battery energy storage system in Victoria’s southwest have joined the queue for assessment under the federal government’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.
The shifting sands of PV module supply
Chinese solar manufacturing capacity faces a downturn that is unlikely to translate into growth in other regions, writes S&P’s Edurne Zoco.
Tasmania’s major renewables approval pathway streamlined by fresh approach
The Tasmanian government is chasing major investment in renewable energy projects through an upgraded renewable energy approvals pathway program focussed on unified multi-agency supports for developers.
Extra 33,000 electricity workers needed to match 2029 clean energy demand
The Australian Skills Guarantee has been identified by a RACE 2030 report as one solution to help boost, and double to 63,000 by 2029, the number of skilled electricity workers needed to deploy clean energy projects.
Australian’s clean energy optimism high but future reliability a concern: survey
A 10-country, intergenerational survey has found Australians are willing to adopt renewable energy initiatives, but worry about its affordability, reliability, and understanding about clean energy, particularly among older generations.
US solar industry on track to install 250 GW in five years
According to the United States Solar Market Insight Q3 2024 report, in the two years since passage of the Inflation Reduction Act the solar industry has added 75 GW of new capacity to the grid, representing more than 36% of all solar capacity built in nation’s history.
Reaping agrisolar success in Australia relies on policy reforms: report
A New South Wales-based Agrivoltaics Resource Centre report reinforces utility-scale developments can successfully co-exist with agriculture but improvements to development application processes could pave the way for better project outcomes.
Perth miner lands $243 million US government grant
Australian manganese miner Element 25 has been granted $243 million by the United States government to support the development of a refining facility that will transform the metal into a battery-grade product.
