Sustainability

Former federal energy minister Greg Combet has indicated the May Budget will unleash big bucks for the next stage of Australia’s renewable energy transition, underwriting the nation’s charge to become a global wind, solar and green hydrogen superpower.

A team of researchers in Queensland have calculated the levelised cost of green hydrogen under different installed capex scenarios for 2030. They also looked into the different possible sizing of PEM electrolysers.

The need for long-duration energy storage in a net-zero world is undeniable but with conventional battery prices tumbling, can anything dislodge the mainstream grip of lithium ion? S&P Global’s Susan Taylor provides an update on non-lithium storage technologies.

A new report has called for large PV waste and recycling facilities to be established in major Australian cities as a matter of priority with solar waste predicted to reach 100,000 tonnes annually, equivalent to 1.2 GW per year, by the end of the decade.

A coalition of community groups have branded the estimated $4.9 billion HumeLink transmission project defective and the New South Wales government reckless to ignore safety and environmental concerns.

Battery technology company Lithium Australia’s 100%-owned subsidiary Envirostream is seeking to scale up its battery recycling efforts, signing an updated agreement with South Korean manufacturer LG Energy Solution in a move that could deliver 770 tonnes of lithium-ion batteries for recycling.

Perth-based resources company Australian Vanadium Limited has executed another element of its planned ‘pit to battery’ strategy, producing the first battery-ready vanadium electrolyte at its new manufacturing facility in Western Australia.

A coalition of leading interest groups across Australia has called on the federal government to introduce local content requirements in renewable energy projects. Multiple economic, business and social benefits for the Australian economy would result, according to the groups.

New modelling shows that Queensland is on target to achieve its 80% renewable energy goal by 2035 with 13 new large-scale solar and wind projects with a combined 4.38 GW of generation capacity likely to be commissioned within the next three years.

Portable solar generators are making their way from the fringes of solar and energy storage to become a mainstream consumer item. The rise has been charged by a range of factors that have created massive brands. Where did the sector emerge from, who was buying before, who is buying now, and what’s next? Tristan Rayner reports.