Tesla Motors, the electric vehicle company throwing down a major challenge to the global motor industry, says it is now looking to become a front-runner in energy storage in a major new challenge to the traditional electric utility business model.

A staged plan to build what would be the largest solar PV plant in Australia, and possibly the largest yet proposed in the world, has been granted planning approval in the northeast state of Queensland.

Australian investment in clean energy plunged in 2014 – falling below that of small third world economies such as Honduras and Myanmar – underlying the catastrophic impact of the federal government’s war on renewable energy. RenewEconomy reports.

Big Australian utilities such as Origin Energy and AGL Energy are maintaining their attack on subsidies for rooftop solar, joining forces with industry lobby groups to call for their removal – just as they prepare to roll out solar leasing schemes of their own.

A Canberra-based company is to introduce new technology that it says could help turn electricity markets on their head — by allowing households to buy and sell electricity on the market.

While rooftop solar is powering ahead, large-scale projects are at a standstill in Australia. Less than 200 MW of large-scale renewable projects were approved this year.

A new study from investment bank UBS says solar plus storage already make economic sense for Australian households, a finding that could dramatically reshape the nature of the energy industry in the country.

French renewable energy developer Neoen is planning a series of large-scale solar PV plants around key towns in western New South Wales, Australia, that would amount to a total 115 MW and would be one of the biggest commercial solar projects to date.

The solar industry has been worried that Australia may impose tariffs on cheap solar module imports from China. The surprise imposition of tariffs on Australian coal imports has raised the stakes dramatically.

Will Australia’s electricity consumers welcome utilities’ attempts to re-engage with distributed generation, or has energy democratization already taken hold?