Policy

Clean energy is driving the country to its Paris commitments well ahead of schedule. The Australian National University published findings today that conclude Australia is on track to hit 50% renewable electricity in 2024 and 100% in 2032 – at a net cost “of approximately zero”. Despite the good news, the Clean Energy Council warned federal policy may see the opportunity squandered.

While U.S. senators Ed Markey and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez introduce a resolution for a clean energy package, legislation has been tabled in six states aiming to implement 80-100% clean energy by 2050 or earlier.

Under the new rules, expected to come into force by the end of the year, Russian residential PV system owners will be able to sell excess power to the grid. The provisions were discussed for almost two years before yesterday’s vote.

The panel fab, with a production capacity of 200 MW, is in Vinnytsia, central Ukraine. The factory’s capacity is expected to double by the end of the year.

There are indications the Trump administration may be closing in on a deal with Chinese authorities but, for now, the trade war goes on.

Indra Overland, head of the Center for Energy Research at the Norwegian Institute for International Affairs, explains how the world’s future energy landscape may include pan-regional super-grids. However, prosumer states seeking energy independence could also be in the mix. According to Overland, the two developments will go hand in hand and the balance between them will be determined by the competitiveness of storage technologies.

Interested developers of large-scale PV plants, with more than 2 MW capacity, have until the end of the year to send proposals. The expression of interest is for projects to be developed with the utility or to be sold to it.

The procurement is planned for May 16 and will award 15-year PPAs to projects based on conventional and renewable energy generation. Solar could help remove the state’s reliance on power generated by a company based in crisis-torn Venezuela.

Almost all of utility Georgia Power’s proposed renewable energy procurement in its latest integrated resource plan is to serve demand for large users with corporate sustainability goals, following Facebook’s commitment to the state.