RenewEconomy
News and analysis for the clean energy economy
The Solar Flagships saga speaks volumes about the outdated political and energy cultures in this country. At least the solar PV contenders will return with vastly cheaper proposals, while the Solar Dawn consortium can consider itself lucky.
Our grid is less productive, and the ratio of average to peak demand is declining. Time to rethink market incentives.
The challenges facing Solar Flagships are a function of our electricity market’s focus on cost of power rather than value.
The Grattan Institute’s study into Australia’s energy future canvasses seven technologies that could help deliver an 80 per cent reduction in emissions by 2050 – wind, solar PV, solar thermal, geothermal, CCS, nuclear and bio-energy. And then there is the grid, and it’s need to be smart and play fair, and not just favour the incumbent coal and gas plants.
A new report from the Grattan Institute highlights the need for increased government support for clean energy in Australia. It says a carbon price alone will not suffice, regulatory changes are needed and fossil fuel subsidies should be removed. But it hedges its bets on which technologies will provide the solution, and at what cost.
There’s a lot at stake for both new and existing energy technologies in the structure of the Clean Energy Finance Corp, and even if it is actually deployed. Little wonder that the submissions range from the case for fast-track emerging technologies to the case for keeping them in the lab. The debate promises to be loud, and not very clear.
From smart grids, to solar energy and wind farms, China is building a dominant position. The world takes note.
Hark, the electric motorbike! But are bikers really likely to go green, with only the sound of a rotating chain to mark their passage? Not likely. But the technology is proving useful to show how bigger vessels – like subs and warships – can adopt hybrid technologies and push the boundaries of clean energy.
Obama made little reference to solar and other renewables in his State of the Union address, but the White House revealed more details of his blueprint. Here is a rundown of the initiatives.
There will be a good way and a bad way to manage the roll out of electric vehicles. The latter could lead to uncontrolled rises in energy costs, the former could help reduce energy costs, and save some energy infrastructure from becoming redundant.
