Rachel Williamson, Author at Renew Economy

Rachel Williamson

Contributor

Rachel Williamson is a science and business journalist, who focuses on climate change-related health and environmental issues.

Renewables

Remote control robots that talk to each other are building solar farms in Australia
Human handlers still need to be on site but the robots from one US company can now talk to each other and be controlled from anywhere.
Rachel Williamson

Jun 5, 2026

2
Storage

Contested big battery with up to 10 hours of storage gets final green light
Construction of the LTESA-winning battery is set to start this year after the federal government gave the project the environmental green light.
Rachel Williamson

Jun 4, 2026

1
Renewables

From wool, to cropping, to solar: How renewable energy can “grow the agricultural pie”
On Facebook, western Victoria is nothing but a hotbed of anti-renewables activism, but there are new efforts to unite farmers and developers to a single cause.
Rachel Williamson

Jun 4, 2026

2
Policy & Planning

“The private market cannot deliver:” Unions want government to build low cost green power for big industry
A government-owned power company that can sell electricity for 44 per cent less than market price is one answer to problems faced by heavy industry.
Rachel Williamson

Jun 3, 2026

6
Policy & Planning

“It takes so long:” Approval times for wind projects have been slashed, but investors are still frustrated
Planning hurdles are still regarded as the Achilles’ heel of renewables developments, despite a big fall in wait times for wind projects in Australia’s biggest state grid.
Rachel Williamson

Jun 3, 2026

0
Battery

Huge 10-hour battery attracts big wad of long distance objections, joins federal green queue
“Evil, poisonous and treacherous” was the description from one Queenslander about the central NSW battery project. It is now seeking federal approval.
Rachel Williamson

Jun 2, 2026

8
Policy & Planning

Illegal use of plug-in batteries adds urgency to campaign to approve balcony solar
A handful of Australians are already plugging in portable home batteries – illegally – suggesting that rules may need to change soon to deal with demand.
Rachel Williamson

Jun 2, 2026

1
Climate

Queensland LNP has stopped trying to cut emissions, now it is refusing to even count them
Last year, Australian ministers agreed to create a reliable source of carbon data for transport infrastructure, and Queensland has just opted out.
Rachel Williamson

Jun 1, 2026

9
Wind

“Just as common as solar-hybrids:” Most developers now including batteries in plans for wind
Developers are now adding batteries into their plans for wind projects, and manufacturers are beginning to come to the party with longer warranties.
Rachel Williamson

Jun 1, 2026

4
Wind

Spanish giant lobs second plantation wind project into EPBC queue just a week after the first
Spanish energy giant lobs another plantation wind project into EPBC queue, highlighting the minimal impact these projects will have on highly modified sites.
Rachel Williamson

May 29, 2026

1
Renewables

Zen Energy appoints new chair after quiet exit of co-founder, Ross Garnaut
Ross Garnaut exit leads to a shuffling of chairs in the boardroom at Zen Energy, as the Adelaide renewable energy developer and retailer negotiates a sale.
Rachel Williamson

May 28, 2026

1
Battery

DNSP breaks the mould with in-house battery proposals, and files the first for federal green tick
Australia’s biggest distributed network owners has a growing portfolio of big batteries in development, but this is the first to be sent to the EPBC.
Rachel Williamson

May 28, 2026

1