Victoria

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?

The City of Brimbank continues to intensify its high penetration of rooftop solar PV with the addition of a new array and accompanying electric vehicle charging station atop a multi-deck in the solar-friendly suburb of Sunshine.

Scientists at Monash University claim to have developed the world’s most efficient lithium-sulfur battery. They say the new device could enable an electric vehicle to drive more than 1,000km on a single charge.

Australia’s transition to electric vehicles (EV) is well and truly underway, so it is no wonder that state and federal governments are teasing out ways to tax its progress. Victorian and NSW governments already devising plans, but is the EV industry ready? And what is more, are governmental plans already out of date?