Australia

Australia has agreed to provide an untied grant of A$21.584 million for ADB-administered trust funds targeted at water investment and clean energy initiatives in Asia and the Pacific.

Greg Combet, has reduced the Solar Credits support multiplier from 1 July 2011 to three, and to two on 1 July 2012.

Trina Solar has strengthened its presence in Australia by opening a sales and business development office in Sydney.

Australia is expecting its first delivery of commercial geothermal power in Petratherm's Paralana project by the end of 2012.

With the deployment of renewable energy technologies exponentially increasing annually, more resources are being allocated to all aspects of the energy sector. A multi-disciplinary approach is needed to identify what the major issues that networks will face over the next few decades in transitioning from fossil fuel based generation to cleaner, primarily renewable generation. The current belief by many is that future smart grids will provide the transmission, distribution and communication networks that will solve all the issues currently being raised by network operators.

The project will  help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 45%.

CBD Energy is finalising its joint venture with  China’s China Datang Renewable Power and Tianwei Baobian Electric.

Areva will construct a $110.17 million solar thermal addition to CS Energy's coal-fired Kogan Creek power station.

ADB will provide technical assistance of around $12.4 million for more efficient power use in Cook Islands, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga, and Vanuatu.

ABB will build a $30 million substation to increase power supply and allow Rio Tinto to expand iron ore mining at Hope Downs mines in the Pilbara region.

Interconnected electricity grids can be a variety of sizes but they all do the same thing: balance supply and demand at all times.

Globally one of the energy topics atop many electric utility executive’s minds is what we are all calling the “Smart Grid.” Of course what constitutes the Smart Grid can mean many different things from new digital meters on someone’s house to advanced Flexible AC Transmission Systems (FACTS) to new sensors on transmission lines and substations. Regardless of the exact deployment for an electric utility, a key consideration – something on my agenda every day – is the security of the Smart Grid deployment.

As I write this in Sydney the Australian body politic fights a continuing battle over whether Australia will or won’t have a carbon tax and, if so, what form will it take and which sectors are to be fully or partly compensated. If it were not for a “hung” parliament, with neither major party having control on its own, there would be no question of such a tax or of a carbon trading scheme for the coming few years.

Asia-Pacific region holds the biggest sustainable, global growth opportunity for solar energy through 2015. This is Photon Consulting's prediction based on its soon-to-be released report entitled, “Solar Power Markets: Eastern Sunrise”. 

Fifteen ABB low voltage alternating current drives have cut air conditioning and heating costs at the State Library of Victoria.

Australia will discuss carbon  tax impelmentation with energy producers. The government is yet to work out appropriate compensation measures for industry.