New South Wales

Australian hydrogen research and development company, Star Scientific, has won a World Hydrogen Award for its patented HERO technology, which caused a flurry of excitement in 2020 and shows no signs of abating.

Wollongong, for decades a hub for coal and steel industries, is keen to play a key role in Australia’s decarbonised energy future with the local council proposing the coastal city as the ideal location for large-scale clean energy hydrogen production.

Last year the New South Wales Government announced plans to retire several of the iconic Manly ferries and replace them with smaller vessels. However, the recent launch of the world’s largest electric ferry in Norway has one Aussie billionaire asking whether the new Manly ferries should be electric?

With battery energy storage systems playing an increasingly critical role in the nation’s renewable energy transition, fledgling lithium-ion battery manufacturer Energy Renaissance has welcomed a Federal Government initiative designed to boost processing of critical minerals needed for batteries, solar panels and wind turbines and build the country’s manufacturing capability.

Chris Bowen, who was appointed Labor’s Minister for Climate Change and Energy after a reshuffle in January, told pv magazine Australia he’s keen to make job creation his core focus, framing renewable investment as a Covid recovery solution rather than the end of Australia’s historic coal mining industry, which has dominated Federal narrative.

The Queensland and New South Wales state governments have reaffirmed their commitment to the solar, wind and hydrogen industries with the establishment of new bodies which will help guide the states in their transition toward a renewable energy future.

Utility-scale solar energy investor New Energy Solar has confirmed it will sell off its Australian portfolio, declaring the policy and regulatory environment for renewables in Australia is not conducive to growing the business and achieving economies of scale.

Gransolar’s battery division, E22, will reportedly develop 13 large-scale batteries in South Australia, Victorian and NSW.

On the same day as Bluescope Steel announced massive profits and the creation of a new Chief Executive Climate Change, the steel giant also conceded that it was not fully committed to investing in ‘green steel’ solutions in the near future.

Negotiation, community consultation, and ultimately an IPC approval that clearly addresses local concerns, gives the green light to this RES Australia development in southern New South Wales.