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Wind farm boom looms as Premier Daniel Andrews looks to boost clean power

Victoria would have 40 per cent clean electricity in less than a decade – nearly tripling the current level – under an ambitious plan announced by the Andrews government. The government has set targets to ramp up wind power and large-scale solar power, paid for through an increase in household and business electricity bills and spending from the budget. With private spending on clean electricity largely stalled due to a lack of confidence in federal government support for a national renewable energy target, the Andrews government believes its policy will make Victoria the centre of a revitalised industry. It estimates …

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Melbourne renewable energy project provides global blueprint

Councillor Arron Wood is the city’s environment portfolio chairman, standing in a rooftop courtyard as the faint sound of trams rises up from Swanston Street down below and the surrounding skyline reaches into a cool autumn sky. Against this backdrop, not to mention the solar thermal panels on the next level, Wood does not hold back when discussing how cities can lead from the front in tackling climate change. In a Guardian interview, he evokes the philosophy of Michael Bloomberg, the billionaire and former New York mayor who has been a major driver of climate change action by the world’s …

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Bringing Venture Capitalism to Sustainable Development

It’s no secret that people are generous. They give their time, talent and treasure to support a wide range of philanthropic efforts. But in many cases NGOs are not achieving the speed and scale necessary to address the key issues of our time. Just like in business, pilots are often created but private and public sector organizations often struggle to go beyond the pilot stage as reported by John Friedman. Today some NGOs are asking if they can create a new model, based on the success of venture capital, which drives innovations to scale? And what would that look like? …

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Remote community transformed after swapping diesel generator for solar panels

Graeme Smith was mulling over a long-standing problem at the end of 2015: how to provide affordable power to his tiny, off-grid community. Despite having freehold title to 170 square kilometres of land east of Tennant Creek and plenty of money in the bank, members of the Munungurra Aboriginal Corporation could not afford to live on their country as reported by ABC News. The cost of providing power to such a remote location prevented them building an economy on their land. “We originally had no power and no water, because we’re not on a grid. We put houses on it, …

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IoT enabling a sustainable food industry

A consortium consisting of food value chain companies, researchers, government and regulatory agencies and technology providers is hoping to use the Internet of Things and other innovative technologies to improve food supply sustainability and profitability. Dubbed the Food Agility Cooperative Research Centre (Food Agility CRC), its mission is to “tackle real food industry problems working with innovative digital technology and talented people to make a difference.” The group has recognised that digital technology is the key to improving food industry outcomes, and will focus on and create projects based on four key tenets: Helping Australia’s food producers provide the right …

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Lithium stocks boom in Australia’s clean technology sector

The boom in lithium stocks is overshadowing a broader recovery in the Australian clean technology sector as investor interest in renewable energies builds. Several lithium explorers and emerging producers have soared this year amid expectations of rising demand for lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles. Energy-storage technology has become the latest hot sector in renewable energy and sparked renewed interest in global cleantech companies. After years of heavy losses, Australian cleantech stocks are collectively delivering strong returns and outperforming the sharemarket – a remarkable turnaround for a sector that has had many false starts and been battered by regulatory uncertainty. The Australian CleanTech …

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Large-scale hybrid project completed at Australian copper and gold mine

Work has been completed on Australia’s “largest solar and battery storage project to date”, a 10.6MW PV installation at a copper mine linked to 6MW of storage, according to developer Juwi. While it still uses diesel to run alongside the solar panels and batteries, the Germany-headquartered company claims the off-grid project will save the DeGrussa Copper and Gold Mine around five million litres of diesel fuel a year – around 20% of its current usage. The project’s construction began last summer, with support from Australia’s Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC). At the time, CEFC chief Oliver Yates said the project …

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Australia to use almost 40% renewable power by 2030

Nearly 40% of all Australian electricity generation will be from renewables by 2030, a report from consulting firm McKinsey has claimed. The report, released at the APPEA conference in Brisbane on Tuesday, said by 2030 up to 37% of Australian electricity could come from renewable sources. This compares to 14% in 2014. But across all fuel sources, including transport fuel, renewables are still only expected to make up about 5% by 2030. Using a “business-as-usual” approach the McKinsey report said despite an increase in renewables Australia was likely to miss Paris Climate Change Accords emission reductions. “In the power sector, …

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Visionary renewable energy projects that could pay off for Australia

Although there are numerous innovative projects seeking to improve the sustainability of Australia’s energy sector, one of the main barriers to making them happen is – as with most things – money. With the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (Arena) set to lose $1.3bn in unallocated funds, the agency has announced a raft of grants for green projects, including $17m for nine research and development projects that “have a pathway to being fully commercial” through industry partners as reported by Annie Kane. According to Arena’s CEO Ivor Frischknecht, the three-year projects all focus on integrating either more renewables or more energy …

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Sustainable Strata Schemes

The issue of sustainability is currently very topical, given the level of commentary around climate change, increasing greenhouse gas emission levels and global warming. The current generation wants to ensure the population’s needs are met without compromising the needs of future generations, and there is general agreement that people need to reduce their carbon footprint. One of the key areas to take action is by having more sustainable living quarters. Not only will this benefit future generations, but it will probably reduce the cost of living with lower energy and water bills. According to City of Sydney Council, over 73 …

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