Sustainability

Forget the beer goggles, settle into the spectacles of a sunny disposition and thank whatever gods may be for beer, solar panels and sunshine. That’s what Melbourne’s Moon Dog Brewing has done with the installation of a near 100 kW solar system atop their brewpub. Inspired by the savings made on emissions and electricity bills, the brewers have released a limited edition solar-powered IPA.

Unlike other nations with more limited land and faster growing populations, Australia has not yet understood the symbiotic benefits which accrue when solar PV and agriculture are combined. This week, the Victorian Government announced its Horticulture Solar Energy program and $5 million in funding for the Tatura SmartFarm to experiment with solar atop a pear orchard.

The Hills International College and Golf Academy in Jimboomba, Queensland (QLD), which boasts former World Number 1 Jason Day as an alumnus, is partnering with Sydney-based renewable energy outfit Energy Estate to develop the Jimboomba Renewable Hydrogen Plant. 

Governments around Australia are hustling to transition their bus fleets to cleaner fuels such as green electricity or hydrogen. Companies around the world are hustling to ready their hydrogen buses to meet the demand.

Technical innovation and solar module production at scale bring with them the opportunity to integrate environmental responsibility. One major manufacturer is reaping returns on its investment.

A Western Australia app which allows schools, households and, from February, businesses to track and improve their carbon footprint is gaining both attention and prominent partners. The company’s founder and CEO, Vanessa Rauland, spoke to pv magazine about its rise.

Lindsay Soutar has dedicated over a decade to advocating for a renewably powered Australia, and while she is grateful for the industry making the vision a reality, she wants to see the renewables sector get better at tooting its own horn.

Soon 2020 will only be a worry to future high-school history students. But when they ask us if anything good at all happened in 2020, remember this review and tell them that solar PV shone in the darkness. Despite the mess of it all, 2020 has been another good year for Australian solar. The industry has demonstrated resilience, and significant progress has been made in the fields of energy storage, green hydrogen and others.

S&P Global Platts has recognised a little-known, self-funded Australian technology company with a prestigious Global Energy Award for its development of a hydrogen demand activator. Star Scientific chairman Andrew Horvath reveals how his company is making its market on the world stage …

New analysis from Cornwall Insight Australia has put Australia’s current battery energy storage pipeline at 7 GW. Of course, the vast majority of that projection is still firmly in the proposal phase, but the over 900 MW of energy storage thought to be developed by 2024 is still far in excess of AEMO’s ISP 2020 forecast, begging the question, how is the NEM going to fit it all in?