Solar PV

Australia’s most iconic building has marked World Environment Day with a series of sustainability announcements, including contracts to source wind and solar power from major projects in the state of New South Wales.

Among 45 critical energy technologies and sectors assessed in a tracking report by the International Energy Agency, only seven are keeping hopes alive that climate, energy access and air pollution goals can be met.

A tracking report from five major international agencies finds the world is lagging behind sustainable development goals for 2030. While more effort is needed to reach some of the world’s poorest populations, though, notable progress has been made in reducing the electrification deficit, thanks to off-grid solar and minigrids.

With the annual cost of energy rising per bed across Australia’s aged care sector, C&I PV and energy-efficiency specialist Verdia says that a major energy transformation is taking place throughout the country.

The Western Australian Environmental Protection Authority is seeking public input on the massive Asian Renewable Energy Hub proposed for the country’s Pilbara region.

A total of 238,000 advanced meters will be installed by utility Western Power on the state of Western Australia’s South West Interconnected System over the next three years. The move will unlock the benefits of a technology that gives consumers more control over their energy use. In another rollout, Horizon Power has made paying for power easier for 11 Aboriginal communities across the state.

In a recent briefing on Australia’s renewables investment boom, BIS Oxford Economics estimates that solar and wind will attract AUD $20 billion ($14.2 billion) of private investment in fiscal 2018 and fiscal 2019, spread across more than 70 projects. But the consultants warn that investment will slow beyond 2020, pointing to the upcoming Australian federal election as critically important for the future of the country’s renewables pipeline.

Solar households that choose to participate in the trial in New South Wales will receive direct cash payments of up to AUD $135 ($95) per year, depending on the size of their battery systems.

With solar panels already installed on dozens of its buildings, the city of Sydney has upped the ante by vowing to source 100% of its electricity needs from solar PV and wind. The commitment was endorsed by city council last week, with a new 100% renewable electricity contract to be negotiated in the coming months.

Green hydrogen has been exported from Australia to Japan, under a trial executed by researchers from JXTG, Japan’s largest petroleum conglomerate, using Queensland University of Technology’s cutting-edge Redlands Research Facility. The Queensland government has also announced AUD 250,000 ($177,000) in funding toward the establishment of a renewable hydrogen production pilot plant.