NewsBite

Renewables

Today

Origin Energy chief executive Frank Calabria said the company would focus its efforts on renewable energy generation rather than hydrogen.

Origin Energy abandons big hydrogen plans in blow to fuel’s future

The electricity and gas giant will not proceed with a project in the Hunter which had been shortlisted for funding as part of Labor’s $2 billion incentive scheme.

  • Kylar Loussikian and Elouise Fowler

Yesterday

Peak-demand utility expands solar farm portfolio by a third

CleanPeak Energy has bought three farms from a European company listed on the Warsaw, Prague and Frankfurt Stock Exchanges. 

  • Elouise Fowler

This Month

Korea Zinc’s Sun Metals refinery operates one of the largest solar farms in Australia in north Queensland.

Korean takeover battle could be an electoral headache for Labor

The government is closely watching the fight for Korea Zinc because of the company’s extensive renewables and hydrogen assets in Australia.

  • Ronald Mizen
A wind turbine at the Ararat wind farm, 100 per cent of which is for sale.

OPTrust, Partners Group seek $500m exit at Victoria’s Ararat wind farm

The 75-turbine Ararat was Australia’s third-largest wind farm in terms of planned capacity when it started being built in 2015. Now, it is up for grabs.

  • Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport

September

Rooftop solar has flooded the energy grid.

Payments for rooftop solar slashed as energy grid overloads

Households with rooftop solar will get up to a third less for supplying their energy to the grid as retailers cut rates in response to an oversupply.

  • David Marin-Guzman
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EnergyAustralia is cutting solar feed-in tariffs in response to sharp falls in solar weighted wholesale energy prices.

No end to Australia’s love affair with solar

Rapidly declining solar feed-in tariffs could change the way Australian households manage their renewable energy. That is bound to be good for the grid.

  • Tony Boyd
Whether nuclear power should help replace retiring coal power stations is a major topic of debate.

Dutton’s nuclear policy put to the test

Several of the fundamental arguments made by Opposition Leader Peter Dutton to underpin the Coalition’s nuclear policy do not convince independent energy experts.

  • Angela Macdonald-Smith
With the full details of Peter Dutton’s energy policy still a secret, Energy Minister Chris Bowen is seeking to fill the void.

Bowen uses gas to fire up offensive on Coalition’s nuclear plans

Energy Minister Chris Bowen claims the Coalition’s energy plans will require spending tens of billions of dollars to build and service new gas power plants.

  • Ronald Mizen and Angela Macdonald-Smith
Resources Minister Madeleine King has helped drive the new critical minerals financing initiative.

‘NATO of critical minerals’ deal to hit China dominance

Local mining and processing projects could be funded by more than a dozen like-minded nations as part of a new joint financing body agreed to by 14 countries.

  • Phillip Coorey
The Golden Plains wind farm in Victoria was among renewables projects approved in the June half.

Renewables projects rebound, but still behind target

The Clean Energy Regulator raised its forecast for wind and solar farm approvals this year, after a drop in generation from renewables in the June quarter.

  • Angela Macdonald-Smith
 Taxpayers in NSW and Victoria are being called upon to pay coal-fired power stations to stay open.

Dutton’s nuclear folly is an economy wrecker

Under the Coalition, Australian manufacturing would face a decade of uncertainty and taxpayers would finance the renationalisation of electricity generation.

  • Craig Emerson
Shell Australia chairwoman Cecile Wake says regulatory and policy settings are putting at risk investment vital to the transition.

Shell says ‘dysfunctional’ rules putting energy transition at risk

The London-listed group’s local chairwoman, Cecile Wake, says high hurdles for its gas projects are now emerging in its big renewable generation portfolio.

  • Angela Macdonald-Smith
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton.

Nuclear debate stalls as detail goes missing in action

The information vacuum includes the costings behind the Coalition’s nuclear vision and a realistic assessment from Labor about the problems in the way of 2030 climate targets.

  • Angela Macdonald-Smith
Wherefore art thou, solar panels?

Why investing in infrastructure could help smooth the bumps

Understanding the key structural trends shaping the next decade will help identify the best opportunities in private infrastructure.

  • Andrew McAuley
Enel’s Bungala solar farm near Port Augusta was one of the projects where output was cut back.

Solar farm output wastage tops 99pc in South Australia

Almost all the output from SA solar farms was cut off at one point last Sunday as owners sought to avoid losses as a flood of renewables sent prices plunging.

  • Angela Macdonald-Smith
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Sun Metals’ solar farm and zinc refinery near Townsville, North Queensland.

Korean $1.5b hostile bid sparks fears for Qld renewables play

A contentious bid for control of Korea Zinc has thrown the future of one of the east coast’s largest renewable energy and hydrogen players into doubt.

  • Angela Macdonald-Smith and James Hall

Why shouldn’t Australia capitalise on its abundance of uranium?

Readers’ letters on the role of nuclear energy; horses at risk in violent protests; and new anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing laws that threaten to drive out accountants.

German State Secretary Anja Hajduk and Minister for Climate Change Chris Bowen during a press conference at the APAC Hydrogen Summit in Brisbane on Friday.

Australia and Germany in $660m hydrogen funding initiative

Chris Bowen has rejected commentary about the death of hydrogen industry, claiming production could reach a million tonnes a year in five years.

  • Angela Macdonald-Smith and James Hall

The fridge-in-reverse that can cut $1000 from home energy bills

Heat pump hot water systems can deliver large savings on energy bills, but there are issues to be aware of.

  • Nila Sweeney
The first phase of the Golden Plains wind farm in central Victoria is in the process of starting up.

Renewables record tumbles but may be close to pause

Renewables’ share of generation hit a fresh record on Monday, but with coal plants having to run at minimum levels it may be near a temporary limit.

  • Angela Macdonald-Smith

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/topic/renewable-energy-617