We’ve scoured both ends of the internet for all the latest #renewables news – so you don’t have to, and to save you a bit of time. Here’s the gist:
The Clean Energy Council has plenty on its plate: (1) they’re running a survey into workforce diversity (apparently it takes 10 minutes to complete) and you can help them out here; and (2) they’ve launched Renewable Energy is Here Now which is their ‘biggest ever public education campaign’ (which on the back of the IPCC report you’d have to think is important work).
The Brisbane Times is running a story about how ‘big oil’ is bidding up the price of renewables which in turn is squeezing profits on the international stage. It’s a complicated business moving away from fossil fuels and we’re going to see more challenges like this along the way. We can’t help but feel it’s not just the economics we need to consider in transition, but the environment and social impact as well – we’ve all got a role to play.
Speaking of which, it looks like that rooftop solar export charge idea will be up and running in 2025 (according to this piece in the SMH). Storage is key here and distributed storage at that. Rooftop solar does have a role to play in our future energy needs and storage is a key question across the board.
In the UK, plans have been published for a £900m hydrogen economy (as reported in The Guardian), which could generate ‘£13bn and 100,000 new jobs by 2050’.
And with a nod to our experience with the National Broadband Network here, Eco Generation is running an opinion piece on the need to get the new energy grid ‘right’ the first time as we transition. That’s a bit hard to argue with, but time will certainly tell.
We’re still shaking our heads at what the IPCC report means for future generations (and what we need to start doing right now but clearly aren’t doing quickly enough) and over at the Climate Council, you’ll find an excellent backgrounder. They’ve also produced a guide to managing stress in uncertain times (like right now). If it’s getting to you, make sure you take their advice: ‘phone Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636 or Lifeline 13 11 14. To arrange an appointment with a psychologist, ask your GP for a referral.’
We’ve been digging through the Meralli Solar photo archives this week and stumbled across this shot of the early stages of our Dareton Solar build at Barcaldine in western QLD in 2018. Great view of the PEG system under construction and why we use it (ie efficiency of build, no cement, less steel and no heavy machinery on-site).
See you again next week.
