Policy

Community opposition to renewable projects tends to be dismissed as NIMBY-ism, an attitude of not-in-my-back-yard. To do so fails to recognise the character and potential claws of the globally growing movement, as well as the renewable sectors’ own role in rearing resentments. Australian reporter Bella Peacock investigates the emotional thread that ties the particularities of opposition movements together, and ways developers can defuse the charge.

Western Australia will now offer rural and metro-area residents in its main grid the same electricity supply. The move comes after a seemingly innocuous rule change saw regional customers unable to run their air conditioning at the same time as their cooktops – a drama pv magazine Australia first reported in July 2022 which led to sustained community pressure.

The New South Wale government’s competitive tender for 380 MW of ‘firming’ battery capacity has now opened.

ARENA has opened the first application round for the government’s national community battery program, allocating $120 million (USD 81 million) to be split equally between networks and other applicants. The program was last week accused of rorting, with independent politicians revealing the locations for a proportion of the promised batteries were selected by the Labor party alone and not based on merit or need.

Australia’s federal parliament has approved a $15 billion (USD 10 billion) National Reconstruction Fund, intended to reverse the nation’s dwindling manufacturing sector. It is the “first step” in Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s election promise “to revive our ability to make world-class products”.

Horizon Power’s push to electrify the town of Esperance has reached a major milestone with the Western Australian coastal community’s reticulated gas supply switched off as part of a move that the state government expects will serve as a “blueprint” for other electrification works around the country.

US solar was disrupted in 2022, with module seizures delaying projects due to strict laws designed to stamp out alleged forced labor practices in sections of the Chinese PV industry. However, it remains to be seen whether seizures affected such alleged practices.

The Australian government’s plan to establish a $15 billion (USD 10 billion) national reconstruction fund to support domestic manufacturing in future industries and reduce the nation’s dependence on imports has become a reality with the investment vehicle rubber stamped by both houses of parliament.

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) told Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue participants this week that USD 5.4 trillion ($8 trillion) of annual investment is needed to support the global shift to renewables. Kenyan President William Ruto, meanwhile, called for a fair energy partnership between Europe and Africa.

As part of its $1.3 billion (USD 87 million) Solar Homes Program, the Victorian government has launched an initiative to upskill electricians, electrical engineers and licensed electrical inspectors to encourage them to take on more solar work.