Oceania

Australia’s 2030 clean energy targets are drawing ever closer, but based on recent modelling, we’re losing grasp of our 82% renewables goal. With this target less than six years away, the industry remains fixated on debating the pros and cons of high-profile renewable projects. These debates however distract from the energy industry’s most pressing issue.

A proposal to build a renewable energy hydrogen project including 26 GW of solar and wind capacity in Western Australia’s Pilbara region is to benefit from a streamlined approvals process after it was awarded major project status by the federal government.

Uptake of Victorian rooftop solar rebates sees five million individual solar panels installed across the state, doubling the output of the brown coal Yallourn power station to generate 2 GW of power to date.

Construction has commenced on a 300 MW / 1,200 MWh battery energy storage system being built alongside the coal-fired Stanwell Power Station in central Queensland as the state government looks to scale up energy storage capacity to support the transition to renewables.

A proposed 300 MW solar farm northeast of Adelaide is on public exhibition with the South Australian planning authority and will complete the approved Robertstown solar and battery storage project, playing its role in the state’s 100% renewables by 2027 target.

Power production from rooftop solar continues to reach new milestones, meeting more than 80% of South Australia’s electricity demand at the weekend – the highest yet share in winter.

Energy generation is undergoing a revolution, our consumption patterns however remain unchanged. With electricity distributed 24/7 across our vast country, the need for a constant, reliable energy supply has never been more critical.

Urgently decarbonising and electrifying Australia’s iron ore industry in the Western Australia Pilbara region with common-user transmission infrastructure, is highly recommended by a new Climate Energy Finance report.

Queensland lithium-sulphur battery company Li-S Energy has capped the official opening of a 2 MWh cell production line in Victoria by announcing it has secured a $1.7 million federal government grant to develop Australia’s first lithium foil manufacturing facility.

The first element of a clean energy hub being built next to the coal-fired Kogan power plant in Queensland is now fully operational with CS Energy confirming its 100 MW / 200 MWh Chinchilla battery energy storage system has commenced commercial operations.