CER

Australia has set renewable energy records for the fifth consecutive year with new data showing clean energy accounted for nearly one-third of the electricity produced in the National Electricity Market in 2021, with the continuing roll out of rooftop solar PV spearheading the switch away from traditional fossil-fuel generation.

A Tasmanian solar installer has been prosecuted for providing a false signature on a certificate form after being investigated by the Clean Energy Regulator. The Regulator has this month also suspended the registration of two solar agents, one permanently.

A Victorian solar installer has been fined $500,000 for a string of workplace safety breaches, including a 2019 incident where a worker suffered serious injuries after falling through a skylight.

The Clean Energy Regulator has recommended major reforms for Australia’s rooftop solar PV industry, including that it be solely responsible for the enforcement of regulations in relation to accredited installers, retailers and component manufacturers.

Ongoing grid connection issues and concerns about Australia’s unpredictable regulatory and policy environment have been identified as the key culprits with a new report revealing investor confidence in the nation’s renewable energy sector has slumped to a five-year low.

The Clean Energy Regulator has reaffirmed the urgent need for changes to how the national electricity grid and market operate with a new report predicting the nation could add another 20 GW to an already surging rooftop solar sector by 2025.

The Clean Energy Regulator has adopted the whistle-blower platform Whispli to allow Australians to report any potential fraudulent or non-compliant behaviour anonymously online. The move comes just after the Regulator joined forces with the Clean Energy Council to launch a taskforce targeting dodgy installers.

New South Wales is leading the rooftop solar PV race with homeowners in the state installing more than 100,000 systems in 2020 according to the CSIRO following a detailed analysis of data released by the Clean Energy Regulator.

Energy market analyst Cornwall Insights Australia has suggested states and territories should work together to manage the rollout of renewable energy projects with new research indicating that within 10 years the National Energy Market (NEM) could at peak times on an average day be swamped with excess generation.

Digitalization is expected to play an increasingly important role in the renewable energy sector with a new international report highlighting it as critical for the continued expansion of wind and solar PV power generation.