This article originally appeared in The Conversation. It can be found here. BP’s annual Energy Outlook report, released in February, details the results from modelling of what it sees as the “most likely” energy scenario out to 2035. In this … Continue reading BP’s extreme climate forecast puts energy giant in a bind
This article was originally posted at Climate Progress. View the original article here. The government of Queensland, Australia is just beginning to implement a new energy policythat changes the way businesses are charged for electricity, a policy that the solar … Continue reading In Australia, Businesses Are Getting Hit With A $500 Fee Designed To Kill Solar Power
This article was originally posted at Energy Matters. View the original post here. Out of 24,000 submissions received during the consultation process of the Renewable Energy Target review, far fewer than 1% called for a reduction in the RET. According … Continue reading RET Review Submissions – How The Numbers Stack Up
This post originally posted at the Climate Spectator. View the original post here. The Australian Financial Review’s Phil Coorey has gotten everyone running scared with his report today, ‘Abbott’s plan to axe the RET’. The suggestion is the government’s intention … Continue reading Warburton not extreme enough for Abbott?
This article was originally posted at The Conversation. View the original post here. Reducing the renewable energy target would cost the federal budget about $680 million more to meet Australia’s target of 5% emissions reduction by 2020, according to modelling … Continue reading Renewable Energy Target cut would hit budget: modelling
This article originally posted at Climate Spectator. View the original article here. The continued decline in demand for electricity in Australia is great news for our transition towards a decarbonised economy. This is a ideal opportunity to retire our old, … Continue reading A window opens to dump dirty generators
This article originally posted at The Climate Group. View the original post here. LONDON: Global wind power capacity increased 12% last year, while solar has already achieved grid parity in France, Germany and Italy’s commercial sectors. As clean, sustainable and affordable power … Continue reading 6 huge solar and wind projects that are driving the world’s clean revolution
This article originally posted at The Climate Group. View the original post here. LONDON: Despite a change in government policy, Australia’s solar industry has expanded considerably in recent years, and today some 2.6 million Australians are getting some of their electricity … Continue reading Australian solar market still strong, with over 3,200MW installed capacity
Originally posted at RenewEconomy. View the original post here.
Solar PV module prices in Australia were cut in half over the 2012-2013 period, falling from $1.50/Wp in 2012 to 0.75/Wp in 2013, according to the latest report from the Australian Photovoltaic Institute (APVI).
The report, PV in Australia 2013, also notes that installed prices for small-scale rooftop solar systems dropped by just under 20 per cent – from an average of around $3 to around $2.50/Wp – in a year that saw the largest market for PV installations in Australia since 2009.
“With PV having reached grid parity against retail electricity tariffs in many parts of Australia and government support reducing, the market is stabilising but remaining buoyant,” the report said.
APVI said that continued increases in grid electricity prices mean PV remained a cost effective option for homeowners across Australia, even without subsidies, and was of increasing interest to the commercial sector.
The report noted that over 1 million Australian homes now had a solar PV system installed, with residential penetration levels averaging 15 per cent nationwide, and over 30 per cent in some areas.
According to the report, the majority of installations in 2013 took advantage of incentives under the federal government’s Renewable Energy Target (RET) scheme, with further drivers provided by grants and finance assistance from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency and the Clean Energy Finance Corporation. Continue reading “Solar PV module prices fell 50% in 2013, storage set to follow”
This article originally posted at the Conversation. View the original post here.
At the recent midyear UN climate negotiations in Bonn, an unprecedented 60 countries (including Germany) called for a total phase-out of fossil fuels by 2050, as part of a global agreement on climate change to be concluded in Paris in 2015.
Meanwhile, on tour in North America, Prime Minister Tony Abbott declared that:
For many decades at least, coal will continue to fuel human progress as an affordable, dependable energy source for wealthy and developing countries alike.
But Mr Abbott’s “coal forever” scenario is only likely if we fail to develop a global agreement to tackle climate change, which could come as soon as the end of next year in Paris. Such global action would dramatically reduce the use of fossil fuels over the coming decades, particularly coal for electricity production. Continue reading “Australia’s coal industry needs to prepare for global climate action”
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