Opinion & Analysis

The role of solar PV in Indonesia will extend beyond replacing coal-based electricity generation; it will also include the production of e-fuels for hard-to-abate segments, offering an alternative to land-intensive biofuel production. A recent study explores, through various scenarios, the cost-competitiveness of solar PV-based electrification in supporting Indonesia’s renewable energy transition.

Topping the agenda for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s visit to China this week has been the massive bilateral opportunity for Australia – the world’s No.1 producer of iron ore, with a 56% share of global exports – to partner with China on developing green iron and steel produced using zero-emissions energy. Traditional practices use coking coal, a carbon intensive, high-emissions fossil fuel, to produce iron from ore, a key step in steelmaking.

Solcast, a DNV company, reports that the first half of 2025 has delivered favourable solar conditions across several key solar generation regions around the globe, with many population centres experiencing above-average irradiance.

Australia is making record-breaking investments in battery energy storage systems, with $2.4 billion committed in the first three months of 2025 alone. These systems are proving to be vital for meeting renewable energy targets and strengthening energy reliability across many critical industries. That includes mining operators, who are increasingly ramping up BESS deployments to replace diesel generators, cutting costs and emissions.

As the world looks for ways to tackle climate change, Australia has invested heavily in green hydrogen, which is shaping as the best option to strip carbon emissions from some industrial processes, such as iron-making and ammonia production. But making the dream a reality in Australia is proving difficult.

Australia’s data centre sector is booming, driven by AI and digital growth – but so too are the energy and regulatory challenges.

Green hydrogen is touted by some as the future – a way for Australia to slowly replace its reliance on fossil fuel exports. The energy-dense gas has the potential to reduce emissions in sectors challenging to decarbonise, such as steelmaking and fertiliser manufacturing.

IEA PVPS Task 16 recently introduced SolarStations.org, a global catalogue of solar irradiance monitoring stations designed for researchers, developers, and policymakers. This openly available resource catalogues more than 800 multi-component stations – of which more than 400 are currently active – offering a comprehensive view of high-quality ground-based solar data.

Indonesia has the resources to quickly increase the share of renewables in its power mix, including abundant solar, geothermal and pumped storage potential to help stabilize the grid. The government has introduced policies to attract foreign investment, including through the Just Energy Transition Partnership, but it is still sending mixed signals about phasing out coal in favor of renewables.

In the recent Australian election, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s Labor Party returned to power with a key campaign promise for a national rebate on home battery systems. This is an important and necessary step in the country’s transition to a cleaner, smarter energy future, but for those of us working on vehicle-to-grid technology (V2G) like JET Charge, there’s a question that naturally follows: what does this mean for V2G uptake?