Oceania

The lack of detail surrounding oil and gas giant Woodside’s hydrogen and ammonia facility in Kwinana announced yesterday has raised suspicions, with groups pointing out the news coincides with the company’s recently approved Scarborough gas project off the Western Australian coast.

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.

Like many Australians, I’ve watched with growing frustration as the federal government has had another internal stoush over increasing our climate targets. While the Morrison government has finally agreed to adopt a net zero by 2050 target, a handful of National Party members have effectively barred Australia from taking a stronger 2030 target to the upcoming COP26 climate conference.

Over recent years, the energy industry has been working hard to provide the structure and a regulatory framework for a market that recognises the value of coordinated demand response. Today marked the second wave — after the opening of the FCAS market in 2017 — of opportunity for organisations to trade their flexible electricity loads on the wholesale electricity market. The resulting efficiency gains are an important piece of the energy transition puzzle.

Destined for a range of heavy duties, from transporting mining supplies to moving temperature-controlled freight the first SEA 300-85 has been manufactured in Melbourne.

After a failed bid last year to gain control of Australia’s Infigen Energy, Philippines-based AC Energy takes over its partner’s 51.6% stake in UPC\AC Renewables.

Underground hydrogen storage seems to be coming up a lot lately, and with the burgeoning hydrogen industry needing somewhere to store itself, it’s not hard to understand why. One of the countries with the best credentials for the future hydrogen economy is Australia. A newly published report has quantified the country’s “massive opportunity” for underground hydrogen storage.

One year on from its spinoff from SunPower, cell and module maker Maxeon Solar Technologies is looking to supply both “across and through” the solar market segments in the Asia-Pacific region. Chris O’Brien, the vice president of APAC for Maxeon, says that the region is set to grow in importance among PV marketplaces, with opportunities on the home, business and free field.

Queensland government-owned utility Ergon Energy has opened the doors to a new $6 million “world-class” research and development hub designed to accelerate the integration of renewable energy technology including microgrids and standalone power systems into the state’s electricity network.

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.