Sophie Vorrath, Author at Renew Economy

Sophie Vorrath

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Sophie is editor of Renew Economy and editor of its sister site, One Step Off The Grid . She is the co-host of the Solar Insiders Podcast. Sophie has been writing about clean energy for more than a decade.

Storage

Australian company behind home battery that Bowen bought enters administration, hit by flood of “cheaper” imports
Australian battery maker whose customers include the federal energy minister has gone into voluntary administration, unable to stay afloat in the flood of “cheaper imported batteries.”
Sophie Vorrath

Oct 2, 2026

1
Policy & Planning

Environmental approvals process kicks off for giant transmission line Coalition has vowed to scrap
A major new transmission line that the state opposition has vowed to scrap is seeking environmental approval, less than two months out from the state election.
Sophie Vorrath

Oct 2, 2026

1
Policy & Planning

Another state launches Solar Sharer offer, amid fresh warnings of drawbacks to three hours of free power
State quietly launches its own version of the Solar Sharer offer, giving households the option to access three hours of free power between 11am-2pm, daily.
Sophie Vorrath

Oct 1, 2026

3
Policy & Planning

Supersized rooftop solar rebates go live in bid to tap into an 80 gigawatt goldmine
Federal rooftop solar rebate officially opens to systems sized between 100 kW and 1 MW, extending a roughly 20 per cent discount to farms, factories and all sorts of businesses in-between.
Sophie Vorrath

Oct 1, 2026

1
Renewables

Final turbine goes up at huge Queensland wind farm, but two projects remain stuck in state planning purgatory
The last of 83 turbines has been installed across a two-stage wind farm part owned by a developer that has had two other projects “called in” by the state LNP government.
Sophie Vorrath

Oct 1, 2026

1
Policy & Planning

Dismal energy efficiency policy is costing Australian households dearly – in some states more than others
Too many Australian households are being locked into high energy use, high bills and uncomfortable living, a new policy scorecard has revealed – but some states and territories are much worse than others.
Sophie Vorrath

Oct 1, 2026

7
Policy & Planning

“Staring down the climate crisis:” New Greens leaders promise to take fight to One Nation – and to Labor
The Australian Greens has named its new leaders, in a move the party says will offer “fresh leadership” and an answer to the rise of One Nation and the far right.
Sophie Vorrath

Sep 30, 2026

10
Storage

Owner of Australia’s largest wind farm seeks federal approval for one of its biggest batteries, in coal country
Plans by the owner of Australia’s biggest wind farm to build a new stand-alone battery, with a capacity of up to 1 gigawatt and four hours of storage, join federal queue.
Sophie Vorrath

Sep 29, 2026

3
Storage

Snowy starts laying concrete foundations for massive turbines a kilometre underground
Construction of the “hydroelectric station the size of the Sydney Opera House” has started laying concrete foundations nearly 1 km underground, Snowy Hydro says.
Sophie Vorrath

Sep 26, 2026

8
Policy & Planning

Some households are discarding solar panels after just 2 years: PV expert says retirement fee could fix this
Leading solar expert says cost of recycling scheme should be paid by end-users, including solar households, to stop panels being dumped well before their use-by date.
Sophie Vorrath

Sep 26, 2026

10
Chart of the day

Chart of the Day: Big batteries are muscling out fossil fuels and gas – not coal – is the “biggest loser”
Neat chart offers new snapshot on how big batteries fed on a diet of excess wind and solar are increasingly muscling out fossil fuels from the lucrative evening peak.
Sophie Vorrath

Sep 25, 2026

7
Policy & Planning

Controversial Marinus Link notches up an “offshore electricity” first for Australia as it clears final federal hurdle
Plans to install a nearly 350 km undersea cable between Tasmania and Victoria have cleared another key milestone and marked a significant Australian first.
Sophie Vorrath

Sep 25, 2026

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