Australia

Australian Parents for Climate Action have proposed an initiative called Solar our Schools and published open letter to Prime Minister Morrison calling for large-scale federal investment in solar and energy storage for every school and early childhood centre as part of Covid-19 recovery. 

IHS Markit’s latest report looks at a wave of new investments in large-scale projects. Economies of scale and technological improvements, as well as renewables deployment, could make green hydrogen price-competitive with grey and blue hydrogen.

The New Zealand Government is quickly turning the antipodean rivalry over climate legislation and renewable energy integration into a veritable Bledisloe Cup. This is to say that for Australia the situation is now plain embarrassing. Today, NZ’s Climate Change Minister James Shaw announced six new projects to receive funding as part of its clean-powered public service fund.

University of New South Wales researchers have published research disproving claims that the energy transition to large-scale wind and solar would hinder the global economy. The research, which ousts outdated and cherry-picked data while showing the economically salutary effects of renewables, comes as 500 UNSW staff face the axe due to the impact of Covid-19.

The Australian Hydrogen Council is making the most of its universal popularity by singing five new Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with key organisations in the Asia-Pacific and Canada including the Clean Energy Council and Bioenergy Australia.

Solar PPAs are now easier than ever to acquire for large companies and enterprise thanks to the partnership of Green Peak Energy and Energy Ease. The duo have joined forces to offer the Energy Ease PPA, a one stop shop for large solar PPAs and financing.

Clean Energy Council Chief Executive Kane Thornton has penned a personal plea to Canberra to allow the renewable energy industry to lead the Covid-19 economic recovery, saying the green sector could put the country to work over the next decade if meaningful action was taken now. 

It’s crunch time for renewables and McCain Foods is chipping in with what is being called Australia’s largest ‘behind-the-meter’ renewable energy system at its production facility in Ballarat. The 8.2 MW system will feature 17, 000 solar panels and a co-generation technology feeding on scrap potato skins.

Australian researchers have completed the world’s largest comparative study on carbon pricing and the results are a “crystal clear” message to governments around the world, but particularly Australia – carbon pricing works, and works well.

The faucet of federal funding for the future hydrogen economy keeps on flowing today as Minister for Education Dan Tehan announced $4.9m in funding for the development of the ARC Training Centre for the Global Hydrogen Economy. The announcement comes on the back of the establishment of the UNSW’s Hydrogen Energy Research Centre, a university-to-industry institute.