By Andrew Blakers, Australian National University As Australia’s rapid renewable energy rollout continues, so too does debate over land use. Nationals Leader David Littleproud, for example, claimed regional areas had reached “saturation point” and cannot cope with more wind and solar farms and transmission lines. So how much land is needed to fully decarbonise energy…
By Peter Roberts The federal government has accelerated the roll out of renewable power generation and storage with the country’s biggest ever tender. But despite Canberra’s plans for a Future Made in Australia, there was no mention of a role for local industry in the announcement made this morning. The Federal and NSW climate change…
The federal government has declared a new offshore wind zone for electricity generation in the Southern Ocean off western Victoria with trade unions immediately calling for stronger local content rules. This, the third officially declared offshore wind zone in the country, will generate up to 2.8 GW of offshore wind energy, a fact welcomed by…
By Peter Roberts The federal government has moved to accelerate Australia’s shift towards renewable electricity, replacing the Renewable Energy Target with a series of auctions to drive investment. Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen revealed the shift to six monthly auctions to secure 32GW of new wind, solar PV and energy storage capacity to…
By Peter Roberts Queensland, a state only a few years seemingly totally committed to coal fired electricity generation as well as fossil fuel export, is putting on a greener front as investments in green energy reap quick results. According to the government the state is halfway to achieving its 2030 renewable energy target with a…
The federal government has announced funding of $12.4 million to support five major projects that will help Australian researchers collaborate globally on clean energy research and development. The International Clean Innovation Researcher Networks grants will support networks focussed on renewable energy and clean technologies such as solar, wind, storage, green metals, and their supply chains.…
By Peter Roberts There is a huge amount of hype around new energy sources to replace fossil fuels and none more so than the phenomenon of small modular nuclear reactors (SMR). But the hype remains just that according to the latest GenCost 2022–23 study released today by CSIRO and Australian Energy Market Operator. While SMRs…
The federal government is opening up consultations on a proposed new offshore wind energy production zone in the Southern Ocean region from Port MacDonnell in South Australia to Warrnambool in Victoria. The 5,100 square kilometre area includes Portland, which is home to one of Australia’s largest aluminium smelters operated by Alcoa and draws up to…
