Australian Energy Insights’ Post

Microgrids can provide secure, 24-7 supplies of clean energy in Australian communities where there is no connection to the main electricity grid. Renewable energy microgrids are reducing community reliance on hazardous, polluting and unreliable diesel generators. This example makes a great case for the need for regulation reform and more investment. https://lnkd.in/gEq4EEif #Marlinja

❓ What is 'needed' for Clean Power 2030? 🤔 The UK Government, with support from the National Energy System Operator (NESO), is developing its Clean Power Plan. This landmark exercise will set out how they aim to achieve their manifesto promise to decarbonise the power system by 2030. A core part of this process is setting out what renewable projects are 'needed' to deliver Clean Power by the decade's end i.e. which technologies, how much and where. This 'needed' definition will be used as a basis to re-prioritise the grid connections queue and get more clean power online quicker. Spoiler: most of the projects we *technically* need for 2030 (and then some) are already in the queue. Great news, right? Sort of. But this raises the question of how Labour can achieve another crucial promise: to deliver 8GW of new local and community-owned energy. Labour committed to a Local Power Plan in their manifesto, designed to unlock local and community-owned energy across the UK. They redoubled this in the GB Energy Founding Statement where they set out the 8GW target. For me this is pretty exciting. Local and community energy provides immense social, economic and engagement value over and above typical commercial-scale developments. Not least by giving people a more direct stake and benefit in the clean energy mission, building wider support for the transition overall. Yet there is a big risk that new local and community projects cannot progress since the connections queue is already oversubscribed with bigger, technically 'needed' projects. Given the 8GW commitment - and the massive additional value local and community-owned energy can create - there is a strong case that UK Government absolutely must consider local and community energy as 'needed' for 2030 too. This means: 🔌 Building local and community energy into the definition of what is 'needed' for 2030 and ringfencing capacity in the connections queue to help local power projects move forward. ✍ Establishing a clear definition of what is meant by 'local and community energy' within the energy system, markets and policy. 🤝 Incentivising and advancing projects which include shared ownership in the connections queue (more on this to follow shortly). Through these changes, UK Government can unlock a raft of new social and economic value, and help build more sustaining support for the rapidly accelerating clean power mission. Merlin Hyman OBE Poppy Maltby Mollie Atherton John Taylor Jessica Hogan Local Energy Scotland Community Energy Scotland Community Energy England https://lnkd.in/eARTqHNQ

🌐 Rethinking Transmission Lines 🌐 Australia faces a pivotal question in its journey towards a greener grid: Do we really need 10,000 kilometers of new transmission lines? The challenge is real, with farmers torn between hosting lines for compensation and communities protesting visual intrusion. Transitioning from a coal grid to a green one demands extensive transmission infrastructure. The energy market operator sees a pressing need, but is there an alternative? 💡 Rooftop Revolution? With solar flourishing on rooftops and the rise of home batteries and electric vehicles, some question the necessity of all these new transmission lines. What if behind-the-meter resources could significantly reduce grid demand? Australia's market operator foresees rooftop solar, batteries, and EVs powering 45% of the grid by mid-century. A substantial contribution, yet not enough. As we electrify everything, doubling electricity production is imperative. 🔍 Trade-offs and Reliability Could we trade new transmission lines for a less reliable supply? Shifting from essential service (99.9% reliability) to regular service (99% reliability) could mean fewer lines. Wealthier households might invest in self-sufficient solutions, reducing grid dependence. However, caution is crucial. This approach risks societal reshaping, with the affluent insulated from outages while others bear the brunt. The notion of the grid as a public good could fade. ⚡️ Navigating the Future Australia stands at a crossroads. Balancing the need for transmission lines against innovative, distributed solutions requires careful consideration. How we view electricity—essential or regular service—shapes our energy landscape. 👏🔍Kudos to the brilliant minds behind this thought-provoking article in The Conversation Australia + NZ, Professor and Director Magnus Söderberg and Sr Research Fellow Dr Phillip Wild and let's engage in a constructive dialogue. How can we build a sustainable grid without compromising societal equity? Share your thoughts! 🌿💡 Griffith University, Griffith Business School #RenewableEnergy #TransmissionLines #SustainableFuture #EnergyTransition #Authors #SustainabilityLeaders #EnergyExperts #GreenGridChallenge #EnergyTransitionAustralia #RooftopRevolution #SustainableEnergy #GridInnovation #ElectricVehicleFuture #RenewableRevolution #EnergySustainability #AustraliaEnergy #GridResilience #GreenTechSolutions #FutureOfElectricity #SustainableLiving #EcoFriendlyGrid #ReliabilityVsInnovation #EnergyDialogue #BalancingAct #GridEquity #RenewableSolutions #CommunityEngagement #EnergyPolicyDiscussion #CleanEnergyFuture #GreenInfrastructure https://lnkd.in/eEti7gNu

🌍 High-Altitude Floating PV: Sustainable Energy in the Swiss Alps 🌞 Energy Efficiency: Research from Zurich University reveals a high-altitude floating PV system at Lac des Toules, Swiss Alps, with a rapid energy payback time of just 2.8 years. 📊 Environmental Impact: The 448 kW system covers 2,240 m², using bifacial panels that outperform conventional systems with lower CO2 emissions (94 g CO2-eq/kWh). 🏞️ Sustainability Benefits: Reduced land use and higher energy yield highlight the environmental advantages, despite challenges with aluminum-intensive mounting systems. 📈 Research Insights: Published in Sustainable Energy Technologies and Assessments, the study underscores the potential of alpine FPV to lead in environmental performance and energy efficiency. #FloatingPV #RenewableEnergy #Sustainability #SwissAlps #EnergyEfficiency Link to the article:

In a reminder that we all have more in common than we think, a new survey revealed 72 percent of Louisianans support expansions in solar, with findings generally consistent across all political parties. Solar energy speaks for itself - as it becomes more ubiquitous, people and communities can see first-hand benefits in energy resilience, cost savings, air and water quality, and job opportunities. #SolarPower #EnergyResilience #LouisianaSolar #KinectSolar

Why should we talk about the costs and benefits of the global energy transition? An article titled “Switching the whole world to renewable energy could pay for itself in just six years, study says” discusses the financial implications of shifting the world from fossil fuels to renewable energy. The article starts by presenting the significant upfront costs of transitioning to renewable energy, which is estimated at nearly $62 trillion for global infrastructure. This is important to know because it frames the discussion around the cost of the transition. It then discusses the potential long-term savings from this transition, including a 62.7% drop in private energy costs, or about $11 trillion annually. The analysis shows that the initial investment would pay for itself in less than six years. Additionally, it highlights the wider societal benefits, such as job creation and the reduction of harmful environmental effects like air pollution and climate damage. This article is a valuable resource because it emphasizes the economic benefits of renewable energy investments, not just the environmental necessity. It is easy to read and understand, making complex economic and environmental analyses accessible. I would also recommend this article because it provides an optimistic outlook on the feasibility of transitioning to renewable energy and shows how this shift could provide both economic and societal benefits, outweighing the initial costs. Click on the link to learn more for yourself! #EnergyTransition #RenewableEnergy #Sustainability https://lnkd.in/eqKUnmRA

 As the world races to “beat” the global climate crisis, a major hurdle stands in the way of the world’s swift transition to clean power: the vast majority of renewable energy projects fail – and location is one of the most prominent causes. Israeli startup REplace (a portmanteau of Renewable Energy Place) flips the switch on this laborious and costly process by enabling companies to identify an optimal location before any other step is taken, making it possible to launch their projects almost immediately. REplace uses its own proprietary algorithms together with public data to check parcels of land according to key parameters, identifying and obtaining the most suitable spots for their customers. The energy companies just have to specify three things to REplace: type of project, capacity and desired region. “We built an algorithm that analyzes the parameters of data on every single parcel of land according to the needs of the user, and finds the best location for that renewable energy project to have minimum risk,” REplace CEO Matias Sigal tells NoCamels. #renewableenergy #regulatoryhurdles #agrivoltaic #sustainability #climatecrisis #climatechange #algorithms #israelinnovation #israelitech https://lnkd.in/d2c9wZC2

The old trope that clean energy can't be relied upon because "the sun doesn't always shine, and the wind doesn't always blow" is rapidly becoming obsolete. Thanks to our ability to innovate, today's clean energy landscape offers reliable and affordable solutions to intermittency concerns. This transformation is driven by three key factors: diversification of energy sources, cost leadership, and the creation of meaningful new economic opportunities. The result is an energy system where the sun’s energy can always shine and the wind’s energy can always blow. https://lnkd.in/gMUXWN2t #energy #agriculture #economics

The First Nations Clean Energy Strategy is out! 💡 Key message: "Australia is on the cusp of a once-in-a-generation transformation, as our energy systems shift to clean, renewable forms of power. First Nations peoples, the original custodians of this land, must be central to – and benefit from – this transition." A great article by Heidi Norman summarising this very important work. A huge congratulations to all those who worked tirelessly to make this strategy happen. We look forward to incorporating these principles into our partnerships and collaborations. #doingrenewablesbetter

For the first time in over a decade, global progress on basic energy access has reversed, with 685 million people lacking electricity in 2022, up by 10 million from 2021. The turnaround is mainly the result of population growth outpacing new connections. Despite progress in renewable energy and international financial efforts, the world remains off track to achieve universal access to electricity and clean cooking by 2030. Urgent, increased global investment and policy efforts are crucial to reversing this trend. Read the full report here: https://lnkd.in/eS6CUyTy #thomaslloyd #renewableenergy #infrastructure #esg #netzero #asia #climatechange #sustainability #emergingmarkets #energytransition #electricity #biomass