It’s been an epic journey! As three large-scale solar farms (totalling 198 MW (DC)) now progress into construction, it’s timely for all of us here at Solar Choice to take […]
Tag: tony abbott
Are you voting for solar this election? Check the Solar Scorecard
Solar advocacy group Solar Citizens have launched their Solar Scorecard tool for the 2016 election. The Solar Scorecard allows anyone to find out how the candidates in their local electorate […]
Australia’s emissions headed back up – and may not peak until 2020
Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions are headed for a record high after 2020 and may not peak before 2030, despite the government’s claim it has been reducing carbon pollution. New analysis […]
Large-scale solar set to boom under programs from ARENA, CEFC, Ergon & QLD government
Interest in large-scale solar projects in Australia looks to be booming, as programs by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, Ergon Energy and the Queensland government […]
Adani Group could develop large-scale solar project in QLD
The Indian company behind plans to develop a mega-coal mining project in Queensland’s Galilee Basin could also have plans to build a large-scale solar plant in the heart of the […]
Aussie renewables industry should feel ‘very supported’ under Turnbull: Hunt
Australia’s renewable energy industry should feel “very supported” under the leadership of new Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, federal environment minister Greg Hunt said on Tuesday. Hunt’s comments, made on ABC Radio National, also […]
Labor’s 50% renewables target would require $80b in investment: UBS
Federal Labor’s proposed 50 per cent renewable energy target for Australia by 2030 would require around $80 billion in investment, much of which would need to be spent anyway, a […]
Australia has a new PM: What’s in store for solar?
Malcolm Turnbull is now ensconced as the 29th Prime Minister of Australia after besting Tony Abbott in a dramatic showdown whose similarities to the travails of the previous Labor government […]
Solar Council launches campaign to oust Liberals in marginal Perth seat
The Australian Solar Council has launched a new campaign urging voters to stand up for solar and put the Liberal Party last in the up-coming by-election for the Perth seat […]
Australia sees emissions jump for first time since 2001
Australian has recorded the biggest jump in electricity sector emissions since 2001, as brown coal and black coal energy generation continues to grow after the repeal of the carbon price […]
Survey says half of Australian voters disappointed with Coalition’s (lack of) support for renewables
A new survey has revealed more than half of Australian voters believe the Coalition has failed to give enough support to Australia’s renewable energy industry, and particularly rooftop solar. The […]
Could the Coalition turn RET towards large-scale solar?
In seeking to justify its push against wind energy, the creation of a “wind commissioner” and its dealing with the Senate cross-bench, the Coalition is trying to turn the renewable energy target […]
RET deal details remain unsettled with questions about wood waste and wind
Last-minute wrangling over the inclusion of native wood waste in the Renewable Energy Target is threatening to delay passage of the amended legislation through federal Parliament’s Upper House, as the […]
Coalition reportedly investigating ways to promote large-scale solar ahead of wind
Solar energy could be favoured under the revised Australian renewable energy target, with Coalition ministers reportedly looking at ways to accelerate the development of large-scale solar projects, ahead of wind […]
RET deal’s passage will unlock billions in solar & wind investment
More than $10 billion in solar and wind investment would be unlocked if legislation to amend Australia’s renewable energy target achieved quick passage through parliament, the Clean Energy Council has […]
Renewables sector employed 7.7 million people globally in 2014: IRENA
The global renewable energy industry employed 7.7 million people, directly or indirectly, in 2014, according to a report released on Tuesday night by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) – an 18 […]
Over 2,000 Aussie solar jobs lost under Abbott government: ABS
Australia’s solar industry has been the major victim of the more than 2,000 job losses to hit the renewable energy sector in the years since the Abbott government came into […]
Aussie small-scale solar stays strong even as large-scale lags due to uncertainty
Australia’s rooftop solar market is continuing to grow, despite a plunge in renewable energy investment that is driving the nation’s large-scale renewables sector into a deepening crisis. New analysis by […]
Coalition rejects 41,000GWh ‘compromise’ on Renewable Energy Target
Federal industry minister Ian Macfarlane has rejected the offer of a compromise on the Renewable Energy Target from the Clean Energy Council, saying his government would not budge above 32,000GWh. […]
LGC price spikes as government comes closer to RET deal
Comments from within the Abbott government suggesting an agreement on the RET could come as soon as Easter have helped push prices of large scale renewable energy certificates (LGCs) to […]
Extension of Renewable Energy Target could trigger large-scale solar boom in Aus
A new report has warned that Australia could miss out on the booming global solar market – a market some say will be worth more than $130 billion by 2020 […]
ARENA study counts the many roads to renewable energy integration
Listening to the debate on renewable energy in Australia, one could be mistaken for thinking that the idea of integrating wind and solar into our existing electrical infrastructure is pure […]
Church leaders offer PM a Christmas gift of solar panels for Kirribilli House
Prime Minister Tony Abbott has received an early Christmas gift with a message from a group of local Sydney church leaders. The gift: A rooftop solar system to put on […]
Stonewalled by Coalition, Labor abandons negotiations on RET
In a move described by the Australian Solar Council as ‘a sign of strength’, the Labor Party has walked out on negotiations over the future of the Renewable Energy Target […]
Construction at Moree Solar farm gets underway
Construction of one of Australia’s largest solar PV plants, the 70MW Moree Solar Farm in northern NSW, is officially underway, after a ceremonial turning of sod at the site on Thursday. […]
UNSW solar pioneer Prof Martin Green foresees PV as #1 energy source globally by 2050
A world-leading Australian solar PV researcher has predicted that the cost of photovoltaic technology will fall by another 50 per cent over the next decade, making it a game-changing energy […]
Renewable Energy Target state-of-play: What you need to know
Sydney Morning Herald Environment Editor Peter Hannam has provided a lucid overview of where things stand with the Renewable Energy Target (RET). The piece is worth a read for anyone who […]
Coalition draws lines for start to negotiations on Renewable Energy Target’s future
The Coalition has come out swinging–albeit not as furiously is it might have–in negotiations over the future of the Renewable Energy Target. Key to the Government’s initial position on the […]
Energy storage steadily gaining steam globally, as coal looks set for a long, slow decline
Even as Tony Abbott spruiks reactionary about coal’s benefits to humankind, a massive revolution is undoubtedly underway in the world’s energy sector–whether he cares to acknowledge it or not. Renewable […]
Xenophon, while withholding comment on RET, says small-scale solar should be expanded
As the Abbott government attempts to wrangle its proposed changes to the Renewable Energy Target, the future for the solar industry brightened a little, after independent senator Nick Xenophon signalled […]
Rally for Renewables draws hundreds outside Abbott’s office in Manly, NSW
On Friday 26 September around 250 renewable energy supporters gathered outside the office of Prime Minister Tony Abbott in Manly, NSW to participate in the Rally for Renewables. The purpose […]