Opinion & Analysis

It’s no secret that extreme weather events are increasing, both in terms of severity and frequency. Australia is no exception. Despite historically seeing a relatively low occurrence of natural catastrophes, over the past 24 months the country has experienced cyclones, bushfires, large hail storms and numerous flooding events. This includes the recent floods in March of this year, in which New South Wales and parts of Queensland saw the worst flooding the region has experienced for six decades. Recent estimates predict the flooding to have caused between AU$919 million and AU$1.055 billion* in insured losses.

My partner and I just bought our first home, and after years of renting, we’re excited to get the keys and finally have the chance to install solar. But the process of choosing a solar installer and appropriate system size, ensuring that our appliances are set up to utilise energy during the middle of the day, and picking the best deal from a retailer is daunting – even for someone like me who works in energy.

The debate around the regulatory reform of distributed energy resources will help decide the future direction of Australia’s electricity system.

There is a big concern in the industry right now for even the top tier solar companies. As the demand for installers and systems is ever increasing, the number of good solar installers are not. 

The return of Barnaby Joyce to the federal National Party’s top job has highlighted tensions within, and dilemmas for, the broader party – particularly on climate change policy and coal.

A renewable hydrogen target will spur massive investment, bringing the cost of the ‘God Molecule’ down the cost curve, and helping to secure Australia’s future in this century of decarbonisation.

We’ve ticked over into July 2021, and so have left Q2 behind us… now with two units at Callide back in service, and also three units at Yallourn as well (though Yallourn unit four missed its expected return to service on Wednesday 30th June). Let’s hope prices continue to settle down.

If the first few months of the year are anything to go by, 2021 looks to be a turning point in the conversation about an electric vehicle (EV) future. Major car manufacturers have already made game-changing announcements, with Ford’s European arm committing to an all-electric lineup by 2030, and Volvo planning to phase out internal combustion engines by the same year, including hybrids.

This week, the NSW government announced almost A$500 million towards boosting the uptake of electric vehicles. In its new electric vehicle strategy, the government will waive stamp duty for cars under $78,000, develop more charging infrastructure, offer rebates to 25,000 drivers, and more.

Resurrected Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce is back in the saddle, facing backwards. His determination to prevent the Morrison Government from adopting a target of net-zero greenhouse emissions by 2050 will again delay the renovation of Australia’s climate policy.