Sustainability

Australia may have finally joined the world net zero party, but it forgot to bring a plate. Considering its lack of policy and dependence on future technologies and cost reductions, the Morrison government’s “plan” is more like a prayer. Nevertheless, a stretch goal of solar generation at $15/MWh is the foundation for Australia’s future.

While prime minister Scott Morrison’s preparation for COP26 has been shrouded in controversy, a new survey into coal mining communities’ sentiments toward renewable energy reveals widespread support for the transition. The revelation comes as WWF-Australia also released findings from its expert survey, illustrating the federal government’s lack of ambition is considered the main hurdle slowing an otherwise perfectly poised transition.

The continued rollout of rooftop solar PV and large-scale wind and solar farms continues to reshape Australia’s electricity market with new data released by the Australian Energy Market Operator revealing that the penetration of renewable energy continues to drive new records in the National Electricity Market.

Mining giant Rio Tinto has been on the back-foot since its destruction of 46,000-year-old sacred indigenous sites last year, costing one chief executive his job and one country a timeless piece of its cultural heritage. Along with the impacts of Covid-19 and stock price decline, the company is seeking to rebuild its brand with improved emissions reduction targets, which will see multi-gigawatt solar and wind installations.

Singapore-based Sun Cable has unveiled a powerhouse line-up of international engineering and advisory companies to help it deliver the world’s biggest solar PV and battery energy storage project being developed in Australia’s remote far north.

The first commercial application of Australian hydrogen research and development company Star Scientific’s award-winning Hydrogen Energy Release Optimiser technology has been given the green light with the company announcing it has partnered with manufacturing network Central Coast Industry Connect to establish a new industry-led hydrogen cluster on the New South Wales Central Coast.

A report from Australia’s Future Battery Industries Cooperative Research Centre which analysed the development of battery hubs in the U.S., Germany and Japan, has found that co-location and cooperation between industry and government were key to hub success. For Australia to play the same game, it will have to leverage its wealth of resources, and clean up its act along the way.

A new study from researchers at the universities of Lancaster and Reading in the UK has managed to quantify the economic boost provided by the symbiotic relationship between solar farms and honeybee hives.

In a joint energy power purchasing initiative tipped to deliver savings of up to $5 million, more than 50 Western Australian local government associations are set to partner on a renewable power purchase agreement which will see them using 100% renewable energy.

Big rooftop PV systems on factories, warehouses and public buildings need not be limited by ownership issues nor local grid capacity, claims Australian innovator EleXsys Energy. The company is maxing out an Ikea in Adelaide, Australia, with solar and storage. And it claims its smart technology can allow the same to be done elsewhere.