The case for ultra-deep e-methanol storage
A key success factor in managing energy crises in a decarbonised grid is seasonal energy storage or ultra-deep storage, as we like to call it. The discussion has traditionally circled around the pros and cons of different energy storage technologies like pumped hydro and flow batteries, or the feasibility of using hydrogen as a storage medium. However, the most cost-efficient solutions may actually lie outside of the electricity sector.
Feasibility-first value selling – a turbocharger for commercial installer growth
A ‘Feasibility First Value Selling’ can transform solar sales processes, James Allston of Orkestra argues.
Why True Zero carbon is the right side of history
It is time to call out the problems of Net Zero, Enosi’s Grant McDowell argues. To reach a fully renewable grid, companies and institutions instead must embrace what he calls True Zero.
Treasurer flags Australian response to IRA – good start but more ambition urgently needed
In a major address, Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers has today prioritised the need for a uniquely Australian response that “complements” but does not “copy” the United States’ landmark climate and energy policy, the ~$1 trillion Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
First Nations lead clean energy initiatives beyond Juukan Gorge
Many of the big wind and solar farms planned to help Australia achieve net zero emissions by 2050 will be built on the lands and waters of First Nations peoples. More than half of the projects that will extract critical minerals to drive the global clean energy transition overlap with Indigenous-held lands.
Not so fast… the Bouldercombe Battery is not yet back into service after the fire
On September 26, the Bouldercombe battery in Queensland caught fire during its commissioning process. Now, it is being reported the battery facility is already back up and running – which isn’t quite the case, WattClarity’s Paul McArdle explains.
The human factor: why Australia’s net zero transition risks failing unless it is fair
This article is part of a series by The Conversation, Getting to Zero, examining Australia’s energy transition.
Successful energy transition depends on managing when people use power. So how do we make demand more flexible?
Energy security concerns are mounting as renewable projects and transmission lines are delayed. In New South Wales, for instance, the government has flagged it may defer the closure of Eraring coal power station beyond 2025.
Is the sun setting on utility solar?
The Federal Government has legislated emissions reductions of 43% below 2005 levels by 2030. Sourcing electricity from renewable technologies is fundamental to meeting this, with a much-publicised target of 82% renewables in the grid by 2030 – up from a current value of 38% over the last year.
The road is long and time is short, but Australia’s pace towards net zero is quickening
The marks of industry have forever changed the Hunter Valley in New South Wales, edged by the Blue Mountains to the south and ancient rainforests to the north. Coal has been mined here for more than 200 years, providing generations of people with good livelihoods and lives. But the end of coal in the Hunter does not spell the end of communities. Quite the opposite.
