Smart Energy Council

Distributed rooftop electricity generation means that many more parties have a stake in rule changes and amended standards for equipment than when a few coal-fired plants ruled the NEM. The South Australian Liberal Government seems to have eschewed consultation with overriding new rules that could hurt many small solar businesses and shake the trust of solar households.

Your Energy Partner is a solar broker that matches clients and solar retailers around Australia. The company, only launched in May 2019, is rising rapidly, partly thanks to its attitude to social media which encourages young first home buyers. YEP sat down with pv magazine Australia for a Q&A.

The Northern Territory’s rollout of solar panel installation at 25 schools is picking up speed, and Victoria is looking to follow suit after announcing the application period open for its Greener Government School Buildings program following the success of a pilot program.

Topping off a big week for solar in Queensland, Premier Palaszczuk announced the partnership between Energy Queensland owned Yurika and the Queensland Investment Corporation which will see 15 MW of solar installed across five shopping centres.

One of the major annual conferences for the Australian renewable energy industry has been called off for 2020 due to the impacts of Covid-19.

Katoomba High School student Estelle Dee is collecting signatures for a petition to NSW Energy and Environment Minister, Matt Kean, for the installation of solar panels at every NSW public school within the next three years.

The impact of COVID-19 will leave its mark on our society and economy while a sliding Australian dollar is likely to make imported goods more expensive. In its webinar held on Thursday, the Smart Energy Council is discussing business tips on how to weather the storm over the next six months. And a question arises: Can residential and commercial solar and storage buck the trend against the economic recession which is on the way?

As the disease continues to spread, its impact on the clean energy industry is growing with the cancellation or postponement of major trade shows and conferences that were set to take place over the next few weeks.

Over the past week renewable energy developers and major investors have told the Smart Energy Council that, “They’re done. The sovereign risk in Australia is too great,” says the industry body’s Government Relations Manager, Wayne Smith. With prospects, employment and energy prices in jeopardy, the SEC vows to rattle the corridors of power for a bankable plan.

Identity politics and an almost religious zeal have come to characterise Australian parliamentary climate debate, but smart industry groups, lobbyists, scientists and Liberal-minded change agents are working to influence the centre-right agenda towards a more economically rational and conservationist approach to energy transition.