Sustainability

Nationwide analysis from Natural Solar’s live monitoring systems shows a 105% increase in Aussie household electricity in Q1 2020 as compared to 2019, a spike resulting from the lockdown implications of the Covid-19 pandemic. However, many Australians, like the 100% of Mulpha’s ‘Smart City’ buyers in Sydney’s North-West, will be buffeted from bill spikes thanks to home solar and energy storage systems.

Titjikala, a remote indigenous community southeast of Alice Springs, is getting set for the installation of a battery energy storage system to complement the 400kW solar array installed in 2018 as part of the Solar Energy Transformation Program. Energy storage has the potential to significantly reduce the community’s diesel dependence.

Sendle and Bonds Couriers have teamed up to deliver Australia’s first solar-powered fleet of delivery vans. As the boom of eCommerce has continued through Covid-19, the ethical import of sustainable shipping and delivery has become evermore salient.

Cairns Regional Council is nearing the completion of four mini solar farms across its Wastewater Treatment Plants, a development that will significantly reduce emissions and save on the electricity bill.

Soluna Australia’s lithium-ion residential energy storage systems have achieved accreditation with the Clean Energy Council and are now eligible for incentives under the federal and state government programs.

A new report from Rocky Mountain Institute in the U.S. explores the need for companies to disclose information about greenhouse gas emissions throughout their supply chains, and the most effective ways to do this whilst ensuring consistency and comparability of collected data across multiple industries.

Ikea has launched its turnkey home solar offer in Australia, making it the first market outside Europe that can purchase a home solar kit from its website. Ikea has partnered with Solargain to try and bring solar to as many Australian rooftops as possible.

Townsville in North Queensland is set to receive two new ‘solar trees’ as part of a beautification project designed to connect the city’s new stadium precinct with its CBD as the regional city looks to boost its economic recovery from the impacts of Covid-19.

GFG Alliance head Sanjeev Gupta has announced a high-cost refurbishment plan for the Whyalla Steelworks in South Australia marking a major step towards his goal to power the plant with green hydrogen.

UNSW solar scientist Matt Edwards is passionate about making solar accessible and using it to displace reliance on diesel in our region. As CEO of startup BlueVolt, he’s “pretty stoked” that his Savo Solar Initiative has won the support of an international foundation, famous for seeding solar projects all over the world.