The cost of solar PV has hit a stunning new low – with a bid for a 300MW solar project in Saudi Arabia pitched at just $US1.79c/kWh – or $US17.9/MWh ($A22.7/MWh) – with no subsidies. This offer represents a significant fall of 75 per cent in costs below those considered “not credible” less than two years ago.
Major transmission company Transgrid says 100% renewable energy is both feasible and affordable, and is urging policy makers to “step out in large ways” because incremental change will not deliver climate goals or potential cost savings.
Chief scientist Alan Finkel has outlined the case for serious and urgent market reform in Australia’s energy markets, saying the solutions for the massive and “unstoppable” transition to a grid based around wind and solar exist, but the market structures and the supporting policies do not.
If the grid is powered by “variable renewable energy” (or VRE), such as wind and solar (see graph above), what will happen when, as the detractors say, the wind don’t blow and the sun don’t shine? The answer, of course, is storage. But not nearly as much as the cynics suggest. And at not nearly the cost.
Australia’s CSIRO has partnered with Chinese company Thermal Focus in an agreement which will see Australian concentrating solar thermal technology used in China.
Australia’s federal scientific research organization CSIRO launched its Centre for Hybrid Energy Systems earlier this month, which is a centre designed to research and improve “cutting edge” renewable and hybrid energy technologies. The Centre for Hybrid Energy Systems (CHES) is intended to be a “hub for researchers and industry to identify, … [continued]
Originally published on RenewEconomy. by Sophie Vorrath Victoria’s Coonooer Bridge wind farm has begun producing what is assumed to be the cheapest wind energy in Australia, after the project became the first from the ACT government’s hugely successful wind auction to generate power. The milestone was announced by ACT environment minister … [continued]
Originally published on RenewEconomy. By Sophie Vorrath In 2013, a report produced by the CSIRO-led Future Grid Forum made the eye-catching observation that by 2030, one-third of Australian electricity consumers – weary of rising retail prices and spurred on by increasingly cheap solar and storage technology – could, conceivably, choose … [continued]
The Australian Renewable Energy Agency has invested $1 billion into more than 230 projects, fellowships, and scholarships throughout the country “that are paving the way for a more diverse energy future for Australia.” In a press release on its website, the government agency publicized their efforts, despite the obvious roadblocks … [continued]
A new report from Australia’s CSIRO and Bureau of Meteorology has found massive current and future climate impacts for the country, and highlights the need for ambitious post-2020 pollution reduction targets — targets that are sorely missing in the current national political climate. According to Australia’s Climate Institute, “the report … [continued]
