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.

Solar

Three months and still no sign of life, but government says it is “committed” to solar recycling pilot
Environment minister wants to see the solar recycling pilot start “as soon as possible.” But industry warns it is losing momentum and will wither away if delays continue.
Rachel Williamson

Jul 31, 2026

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Wind

Australian researchers say new floating turbine design could cut costs by 40 pct, but only for small machines
Australian researchers say a new floating wind turbine design is much cheaper than bigger machines and could be useful for offshore industries who need a power source.
Rachel Williamson

Jul 30, 2026

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Renewables

“We’ve got to fight back:” Energy industry urged to step up against fossil-funded disinformation
If the renewable energy sector wants to replace gas and coal, it needs to fight fossil fuel-funded disinformation, an outgoing senator says.
Rachel Williamson

Jul 30, 2026

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Renewables

Data giant says its happy with renewable mandate, but Queensland and NT snub Canberra and go for gas
Queensland wants data centres to be powered by gas, while NSW is already planning for a renewables-powered sector.
Rachel Williamson

Jul 29, 2026

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Communities

Outrage machine winning as Australians worry that others don’t support energy transition
Support for renewables is not where it needs to be to get the energy transition done, new survey says, as uncertainty fuels doubt and suspicion.
Rachel Williamson

Jul 28, 2026

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Renewables

Quinbrook seeks approval for large solar farms to help power Australia’s push into making silicon for PV
Quinbrook begins planning journey for the first of two solar projects worth up to 500 MW, which will be key to power Australia’s big push into the global PV supply chain.
Rachel Williamson

Jul 27, 2026

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Battery

Sweet spot for battery storage now 7 hours – growing to 8.5 hours – as coal exit looms
AEMO wants future batteries to deliver 7 hours of storage to fill gaps as coal exists, and is forecasting this duration to keep climbing in the 2030s.
Rachel Williamson

Jul 27, 2026

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Wind

Wake steering: Researchers say turbine realignments could add double digit power gains to wind farms
Researchers says realignment of wind turbines away from the wind can boost output. “Wake steering” has real data, but wind owners in Australia aren’t buying it yet.
Rachel Williamson

Jul 24, 2026

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Renewables

Solar smuggling: Illegal exports of broken panels is killing the PV recycling industry
illegal exports of used solar panels are still a major threat to efforts to establish a solar PV recycling industry in Australia.
Rachel Williamson

Jul 23, 2026

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Policy & Planning

Can EVs help get more out of the grid, for less? Two new grant winners hope to show the way
New federal government grant package backs 14 projects to get more renewables on the grid, co-opt EVs, make more of existing networks, and unblock bottlenecks.
Rachel Williamson

Jul 22, 2026

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Policy & Planning

“We’re losing time:” Planning delays adding costs and complexity to new renewable projects
Developers say ever increasing planning delays are adding cost and complexity to new wind projects, even as connection timeframes improve significantly.
Rachel Williamson

Jul 21, 2026

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Renewables

Developer of Australia’s first solar-battery hybrid lands finance and presses go on another bigger project
Spanish energy giant that built Australia’s first solar-battery hybrid project is now building its second, after locking in finance. But it is staying mum on who’s buying the output.
Rachel Williamson

Jul 21, 2026

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