Large-scale solar industry takes off as 12 new plants secure finance

Australia’s large-scale solar industry now appears to be on solid ground, with all 12 plants recently awarded grant funding by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency reaching “financial close” this month.

That means they are fully financed and have locked in engineering, construction and grid connection agreements, as well as council and environmental approvals.

Construction has already begun at nine of the 12 Arena-funded plants, and the others three are a done deal, with the NSW White Rock solar farm the final project to reach financial close last week.

Arena’s chief executive, Ivor Frischknecht, said there were at least six more plants being developed in Australia without grant funding, suggesting the grant program had succeeded in establishing a self-sustaining industry.

Read Michael Slezak’s story in The Guardian - “Large-scale solar industry takes off as 12 new plants secure finance.”

John Hewson asks the question about ARENA

John Hewson - can we, or
 should we save ARENA?

Once again the essential development of the renewable energy sector has been stymied by short-term, opportunistic politics.

Included in the Turnbull government’s “omnibus” savings bill is a A$1.3 billion cut in the funding of ARENA, the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, a cut, coming on the heels of a couple of previous cuts, that basically wipes out any future role for ARENA. The proposed cut is part of the Abbott legacy that sought to effectively close down the renewable energy sector.

Although the government has presented the bill in the name of budget repair, it is also very much a political manoeuvre designed to wedge opposition leader Bill Shorten, by claiming that he had committed to these cuts during the election campaign, and recognising that a couple of the proposed cuts are either inconsistent with “traditional Labor values”, or with declared Labor policy, such as their commitment to a 50% renewable energy target for 2030.

Shorten is under considerable pressure to demonstrate his bona fides on budget repair, and especially as he has expressed a willingness to “reach across the aisle”, to work with the government on this urgent policy challenge.

Read Hewson’s View on The Conversation - “Can, or should, we save ARENA?”

Gutting ARENA will make renewable revolution near impossible

A renewable energy revolution is in
progress but gutting Australian
Renewable Energy Agency will make
 it harder for Australia to play a role.

The federal government plans to strip the Australian Renewable Energy Agency of most of its funding, as well as its ability to give grants now that Parliament has resumed. Remarkably, the ALP, which established ARENA when in government, may allow this to happen. This is an existential threat to renewable energy research, innovation and education in Australia.

The solar photovoltaic industry is big business. It now makes up a quarter of all new electricity generation capacity installed each year across the world, and it's growing at 20 to 30 per cent a year. Together, solar and wind energy make up half of all new generation capacity installed globally and all new generation capacity installed in Australia. A renewable energy revolution is in progress, and Australia is at the forefront. Gutting ARENA directly threatens our leadership position.

Read The Sydney Morning Herald story - “The sun will set on solar if the Australian Renewable Energy Agency is gutted.”

Industrial solar rollout needs changes to building lease agreements

ARENA chief executive,
Ivor Frischknecht, keen
to see more roof space
generating electricity.

The rollout of solar cells on industrial and commercial buildings could accelerate significantly across Australia if an initiative to simplify lease agreements and finance costs is successful in reaching the hip-pocket nerves of landlords and tenants.

While Australia has the world's highest per capita penetration of solar panels on residential rooftops, it lags with solar on commercial buildings despite having acres of low-rise industrial sheds suitable for power generation.

"There is a lot of roof space out there currently not generating any energy," said Ivor Frischknecht, the chief executive of the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA).

Small businesses in particular were failing to reap the benefits of lower electricity prices on commercial properties they lease because their agreements lumped the cost of installing energy efficient features on the landlord, while giving the savings to tenants.

Read Simon Johanson’s story in BusinessDay in today’s Melbourne Age - “Funding to boost take-off of solar on industrial buildings.”

Grants helps Victorian company develop its solar plans

A Victorian technology company striving to produce more efficient and cheaper solar power has won financial backing from the national renewable energy agency to expand its plans.

RayGen Resources, based in Melbourne, will receive a new $2.9 million government grant to help it commercialise what the company says is ground-breaking solar technology that has already received overseas interest.

The technology involves laying out a large array of mirrors that tracks the sun throughout the day and creates a concentrated light beam onto a highly efficient solar photovoltaic receiver sitting on top of a central tower.

In March last year, RayGen opened a 200-kilowatt pilot plant at Newbridge, near Bendigo, to showcase the technology, which the company has dubbed "PV Ultra". The pilot was built with support from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, also called ARENA.

Read the story in today’s Melbourne Age - “Victorian solar project wins government grant to take its technology to world.”

Turnbull commits to keep CEFC and ARENA

Malcolm Turnbull has added to the growing differences between his administration and the previous Abbott government by reversing Coalition hostility to forward-leaning climate change policy through the creation of a new $1 billion clean energy innovation fund.

And he has bolstered that move with a formal commitment to keep the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, and the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, both of which had been set for abolition under Mr Abbott's leadership.

"Clean energy is central to the government's strategy to address climate change and meet our emissions reduction targets," Mr Turnbull said

The policy is the culmination of extensive background work by Environment Minister Greg Hunt over a period of two months.

Read the story in today’s Melbourne Age - “Malcolm Turnbull's green shift another blow to Tony Abbott.”

Bureaucrat left in charge of ARENA

All appointed board members of the Australian Renewable Energy Agency have had their terms expire and have not been replaced, leaving it governed by the secretary of the Department of the Environment, Guardian Australia has learned.

The same thing happened in 2014 while Tony Abbott was prime minister, and the move has now been criticised as an attempt by the Turnbull government to remove the independence of the agency.

According to legislation, the board must consist of the secretary of the Department of the Environment and up to six others appointed by the minister. The agency can operate with the secretary being the only board member, since it reaches quorum when a majority of the board members are present, which now occurs with one.

Read The Guardian story - “Renewables agency stripped of members and run by bureaucrat.”

(The urgency of responding to climate change escapes many people, particularly, obviously, Australia’s Federal Government. Rather than showing a distinct disinterest toward organizations such as the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) and the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, and allowing them to wilt and maybe die, the Malcolm Turnbull-led government should be bolstering these bodies and putting them, and their advice, at the heart of any government processes and decisions – Robert McLean.)

Rebewable energy investment stagnant because of Abbott influence

Investment in large-scale renewable energy in Australia remains stagnant almost two years after the Abbott government began a review of the sector, according to an annual survey by Bloomberg New Energy Finance.

Investors spent just $15 million since February 2014 on big wind, solar or other clean energy projects that were not otherwise supported by government programs such as the Australian Renewable Energy Agency.

Read Peter Hannam’s story in today’s Melbourne Age - “Confidence in renewable energy sector 'evaporated' after Abbott cut: Bloomberg.”

Wave energy soon at Victoria's Port Fairy

Ocean energy arrives at Port Fairy, just
off the Victorian coast.

Ocean energy company BioPower Systems (BPS) completed the deployment of its 250kW bioWAVE pilot demonstration unit off the coast near Port Fairy, Victoria.

The $21 million project has been in development by BPS for three years, with $11 million funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) and $5 million funding from the Victorian Government.

BPS CEO Dr Timothy Finnigan said the usually powerful swell at this site abated enough for the installation to be completed smoothly and successfully.

Read the Australia Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) story - “Innovative wave energy device lands at Port Fairy.”

Turnbull climate sensitive despite pledges to Direct Action

T

Malcolm Turnbull - subtle
changes to
climate change approach.

he Turnbull government is signalling a new approach to climate policy despite its pledge to stick with the “Direct Action” climate plan, abandoning Tony Abbott’s attempt to abolish two key renewable energy agencies and considering tougher “safeguards” to ensure the policy actually reduces emissions.

Staff at the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (Arena), a body set up by the former Labor government to increase the use of renewable energy, were told on Monday they were being transferred from the industry department to the department of the environment.

Read the Guardian story - “Turnbull government signals new approach to climate policy”.