Victoria

Grupo Energia is the latest renewable energy company to set up shop in Australia and it has chosen Melbourne for its local headquarters.

The South Australian Government is expected to announce a decrease in the subsidy level and cap for its Home Battery Scheme this week, while the Victorian Government has more than doubled the eligible postcodes for its Solar Homes program.

Victoria’s Central Highlands Water becomes yet another tributary to the river of Australian water utilities to invest in solar. The utility’s community-driven Solar Initiative could see half of its energy needs met with solar PV.

A new venture funded by the Cannon-Brookes family is looking to install stand-alone solar and battery systems at up to 100 sites around Australia affected by recent bushfires and floods.

The Victorian government has decided to break away from national electricity rules and introduce legislation that will fast-track priority projects like grid-scale batteries and transmission upgrades and make room for more large-scale solar and wind on the grid. The announced reforms have prompted a flurry of reactions.

Between Shepparton and Wangaratta, in rural Victoria, Fotowatio Renewable Ventures’ latest solar project will soon tilt its panels to the sun, and fund a research project with the University of Melbourne to explore ways — including regulatory innovation and community empowerment — of accelerating the state’s transition to a sustainable low-carbon future.

Ona Coffee, founded by former World Barista Champion Sasa Sestic, has made the switch to 100% solar at both its roastery and its head office. The solar PV installation, made gradually throughout 2019, is part of the company’s long-term plan to reduce its carbon footprint and become more sustainable.

Germany-based Wirtgen Invest has entered the large-scale Aussie solar market with the purchase of the 140 MW Glenrowan West Solar Farm, a significant project considering its location in one of the 2020 Integrated System Plan’s Renewable Energy Zones.

Dozens of hospitals across Victoria and New South Wales are installing solar to slash their greenhouse emissions and electricity costs. In NSW, another four hospitals have received government funding to install solar panels, while the number of Victorian solar-powered health centers continues to rise.

Australia’s bushfire crisis is beginning to expose a National Energy Market over-reliant on vulnerable individual elements. Does Australia’s changing environment necessitate a localised energy future?