Labor already under fire over imminent fossil fuel projects
It’s been just over 24 hours since Anthony Albanese was sworn in as the new prime minister of Australia and already his government is coming under heat for its longstanding refusal to block the 114 coal and gas projects under development in Australia, especially the recently approved Scarborough and Beetaloo projects. With a number of seats still in doubt, Labor may need to up its ambition with the ‘Greenslide’ election on Saturday leaving little doubt about Australian’s desire for climate action.
Albanese vows to transform Australia into clean energy ‘superpower’
Incoming Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese has promised to make the nation a “renewable energy superpower” in the wake of Labor’s federal election victory at the weekend.
IGO-Tianqi JV claims ‘Australian first’ lithium milestone
Australian miner IGO is claiming an Australian first in its joint venture with China’s Tianqi Lithium after producing battery grade lithium hydroxide, a key component in rechargeable battery technology, at its Kwinana refinery in Western Australia.
Cannon-Brooks cements stance ahead of AGL demerger vote
Australian energy major AGL’s plan to split the company in two are in jeopardy with software billionaire and climate activist Mike Cannon-Brookes’ Grok Ventures cementing a more than 11% stake in the power producer in a bid to stop the demerger.
One third of disused solar panels found fit for reuse as recycling partnership strengths circular push
Reclaim PV Recycling and the Circular PV Alliance (CPVA) have announced a partnership which will see the pair work together to develop standards and testing procedures to support the reuse and resale of solar panels in Australia. The union comes after Reclaim PV found more than 31% it collected in a Queensland region could be considered for reuse rather than recycling.
New Zealand unveils multibillion-dollar climate plan, comes under attack for ‘staggering’ omission
New Zealand’s government this week unveiled its plan to cut emissions and fund the clean energy transition, featuring policies like a ‘scrap and replace’ scheme to incentivise electric vehicles and funding for electrifying industry. The NZ$2.9 billion (AU$2.6 billion) plan has received mixed reviews, with Greenpeace saying it has overlooked the country’s most glaring problem.
Emissions-free battery recycling facility will use electricity rather than smelting
ACE Green Recycling has announced plans to build a new plant in Texas to recycle both lead-acid and lithium-ion batteries.
Solar panel portrait of Saul Griffith named finalist in 2022 Archibald Prize
A solar panel incorporated portrait by Jude Rae of Australian scientist, inventor and author Saul Griffith was listed among the finalists of the 2022 Archibald Prize. The portrait embodies Griffith’s renewable energy message to Australia – “Electrify everything.”
Aquila Capital confirms 1GW solar PV pipeline for New Zealand
New Zealand’s transition to renewable energy has received a boost with German investment manager Aquila Capital teaming with renewable energy asset developer Far North Solar Farm to announce they will commence construction on a 1GW portfolio of large-scale solar PV projects.
It’s 2030 and Australia’s energy landscape looks like…
As part of the Smart Energy Conference held in Sydney last week, the Smart Energy Council’s Scott Hamilton ran a session on Australia’s hypothetical energy landscape in 2030. This is how panelists Simon Holmes á Court, Jane Caro, Richard Denniss, Karrina Nolan and Professor Iain MacGill think we’ll be living at the decade’s close.
