SA’s Whyalla steelworks hits green steel milestone with first batch of premium magnetite
South Australia’s Whyalla, the site of the state’s government-backed hydrogen hub, has begun producing a vital component used to make green steel: magnetite concentrate. The steelworks is owned by billionaire steel tycoon Sanjeev Gupta through his global company GFG Alliance. Gupta has described magnetite concentrate as “a critical enabler of our global green steel strategy.”
Renewables expected to generate 22% of US electricity this year
The Energy Information Administration projects renewable energy to reach a record share of generation mix this year.
Unions call for energy authority to manage transition
Australia’s peak union body has called for the federal government to establish a national energy transition authority to help manage the shift from coal to a grid dominated by renewables.
Bowen unveils emissions strategy to drive EV uptake
The Australian government will seek to introduce vehicle fuel efficiency standards to help get more electric vehicles into the domestic market and improve affordability of as part of a push to encourage more people to take up the low-emissions cars.
The growing demand for off-grid leads to compact, pre-wired systems
With headlines dominated by spiking electricity prices and energy security, the demand for off grid solutions in Australia is booming. “It’s starting to make financial sense, that’s significant,” Matt Miller, the marketing manager for Victorian company Commodore tells pv magazine Australia.
‘Likely to further dilute trust’: misunderstanding community opposition to transmission lines
As community opposition to overhead transmission line grows, the Victoria-based Energy Grid Alliance has released a report imploring the energy industry to better understand why the phenomenon is gaining momentum – positing the ‘talk to them early and pay them more’ approach will only further decay the situation. Instead, the group says real attention needs to be paid to social license and ensuring environmental and socioeconomic impacts of chosen transmission corridors are considered from the get-go.
Bill backs closure of Victorian coal-fired power plants by 2030
Victoria’s coal-fired power plants would be progressively shut down by the end of the decade under a climate bill to be introduced to state parliament this week.
Energy ministers’ move puts onus on emissions reductions
Energy ministers from around the country have powered up Australia’s shift from coal and gas to a renewables-based grid with a national agreement to enshrine emissions reductions objectives into laws governing the nation’s energy market.
Council initiatives help accelerate transition to renewable energy
Local government associations continue to drive Australia’s shift towards renewable energy with councils around the country unveiling a series of clean energy projects, ranging from solar PV and storage installs, to solar panel recycling initiatives and long-term power purchase agreements.
Growing consensus on 100% renewables
An international group of researchers from 15 universities has said that there is growing consensus among scientists that an energy system based on 100% renewables could be achieved cost effectively by 2050.
