Oceania

The Australian Capital Territory Government has announced it will contract for the construction of up to 250 MW of new renewable energy generation and 20MW/40MWh of battery storage as it seeks to pave the way for the electrification of buildings and transport.

French renewable developer giant Neoen has announced plans for a massive hybrid power plant in South Australia featuring 1200 MW of wind, 600 MW of solar and 900 MW of battery storage. The project will depend heavily on the SA-NSW interconnector.

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) today released its new Investment Plan, prioritising three key areas in an effort to increase the prevalence of renewable energies in Australia.

Foresight Group, a UK-based global investment firm, and one of Australia’s leading solar investors, has today launched a new renewable energies investment fund specifically toward lending to renewable energy generation and associated infrastructure projects on a smaller-scale.

On the first day of this year’s EU PVSEC conference, Adelaide-based veteran solar researcher Pierre J Verlinden won the Becquerel Prize for Outstanding Merits in Photovoltaics. The award recognized more than 40 years as a leading PV researcher in academia and at leading companies including Sunpower and Trina Solar. Its recipient, now a board member of Australian solar technology provider BT Imaging, spoke to pv magazine about what is needed from solar to stave off catastrophic climate change.

A group of Australian investors led by venture capital fund Square Peg has backed the Melbourne-based start-up which aims to revolutionise the way Australian households buy electricity by passing through wholesale rates.

The New South Wales (NSW) Government has released the NSW Climate Policy Framework announcing its will to set interim carbon reduction targets as it looks to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.

Australian Capital Territory’s Minister for Climate Change and Sustainability Shane Rattenbury has announced a further reverse auction for 200 MW of wind or 250 MW of solar.

A new report from the Clean Energy Council (CEC) shows investment in renewable energies is slowing down to levels not seen since the prime ministership of Tony Abbott as a result of policy uncertainty and mounting regulatory challenges.

The University of New South Wales (UNSW) Sydney’s Practical Justice Initiative (PJI) will host a Climate Transition Lecture on the impact of Australia’s fossil fuel exports on the climate on September 17. Experts will discuss how possible the phasing out of fossil fuel exports is and how it can be done.