Coal or renewables: Which is cheaper?

As you unplug your iPhone and turn on your kettle each morning, the complexities of Australia's energy market probably aren’t high on your mind. But at this year’s federal election more than any other, voters are being asked to think about where their electricity comes from, how much it costs and whether it will help make the planet too hot to live on.

A coal operation in the NSW Hunter Valley. Tony
Abbott says coal is the cheapest form of energy.

The Morrison government has pledged to make energy supplies more reliable and affordable by financing new generation projects – most controversially coal – using the taxpayer purse. It’s an issue that is, again, tearing the Coalition apart as some Nationals MPs push for a firm funding commitment before the election.

Read the story from The Age by Nicole Hasham - “Coal or renewables: Which is cheaper?”

Northern Victorian piggery taps into its manure for energy

A family-owned piggery in northern Victoria is about to unplug from the grid and rely on a $1 million biogas system for all its power.

Pigs manure is rich in nutrients and
 can be turned into bio-gas.

The biogas system is expected to save the business operators at Yarrawalla, 80 kilometres north of Bendigo, hundreds of thousands of dollars.

While other intensive animal farms and regional hospitals across the state face rising energy prices, the Kia Ora piggery will become self-sufficient in two months time.

One interstate research fellow who advises Australian Pork Limited has described the operator as a trail-blazer in the industry.

Read the ABC News story by Stephanie Corsetti and Erin Delahunty - “Northern Victorian piggery taps into its manure for energy.”