Australia’s Clean Energy Finance Corporation is to tip another AUD$250 million of financing into large scale solar projects, as part of a co-ordinated drive among government agencies to build up to 10 major projects and drive down the cost of large scale solar.

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency says it is seeking large scale solar projects that can produce energy at a cost of $135/MWh as it calls for tenders for its first AUD$100 million funding round for the technology.

The government of the Australian Capital Territory is going where the federal politicians who march the corridors of Parliament House in the national capital fear to tread – to reach 100 per cent renewable energy by 2025.

U.S. solar service giant Sungevity has decided to quit the Australian market, another apparent victim of investor nervousness about the constantly changing policy environment for clean energy in Australia.

It seems that the Labor Party has finally had enough of joining with the Coalition in the policies of the lowest common denominator, at least in respect to renewable energy. Labor leader Bill Shorten has finally found a major issue to make a point of difference with Tony Abbott.

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency is going to adopt the auction-process successfully pioneered by the ACT government to spend up to AU$100 million and target up to 200 MW of large-scale solar, as part of its new funding program.

Australia on Tuesday became the first developed country to cut its renewable energy target – adding to its honor of being the first to dismantle a carbon price – when the Senate passed legislation reducing the large scale target from 41,000GWh to 33,000GWh by 2020.

Japanese electronics giant Panasonic has struck agreements with three Australian energy utilities to trial its home-based battery storage options, saying it would help double the amount of self-consumption of Australian solar households and also challenge utilities to change their business models.

In a ceremony attended by the heads of AGL Energy and First Solar, and ministers from the NSW government, but not the federal government, the 1,366,380th and final solar panel was installed on the 102 MW Nyngan solar farm in western NSW on Friday.

Deutsche Bank says solar market is massive, will generate $5 trillion in revenue by 2030. It describes solar plus storage as the next killer app, and says even in India there will be 25% solar by 2022.