Australian investment in large-scale renewable energy projects fell sharply in the first quarter of 2016, more than six months after the Coalition government promised “certainty” after forcing the Labor opposition to agree to slash the renewable energy target (RET) to 33,000GWh.

Renewables have been erroneously blamed for a number of blackouts in Australia, which were actually the result of failing network equipment and fossil fuel generators.

A major new study has significantly lifted the potential of rooftop solar PV in the United States, saying rooftop solar alone could provide 40% of all the electricity needs of the world’s biggest economy, and around half if module efficiencies continued to improve.

Nearly three years after winning a tender in the ACT government’s first reverse auction program for large-scale renewables, a 13 MW solar farm has begun construction on the outskirts of Canberra.

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency may make another $100 million of grants available in a new round of funding for large scale solar projects in Australia following the overwhelming response to its latest program.

The fossil fuel industry is facing a US$33 trillion hit to its expected revenues over the next 20 years, following the dramatic and unexpected result of the Paris climate change conference last weekend. RenewEconomy reports.

Senior executives from global internet giants Google and Facebook say that renewable energy is now a valid economic alternative, and more companies could and should be following their path to 100 per cent renewable energy.

There is considerable concern in Paris – and elsewhere – about whether the deal negotiated at the UN climate change conference will be strong enough to drive the global decarbonization effort that everyone recognizes is needed.

There has been a huge response to the series of tenders being conducted in Australia for large-scale solar projects, with programs conducted by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, Ergon Energy and the Queensland government inundated with proposals.

Western Power, the state-owned company that operates the grid in the south-west corner of Western Australia, is looking to take small communities completely off grid so that it can save money on costly network upgrades and extensions.