Update: ACT’s 0% Sustainability Loans Scheme Gets Better & Worse!

ACT Sustainable Household Scheme - zero interest loans

Zero-interest loans of up to $15,000 are available to most Canberra households and can be used to purchase a range of energy-saving home improvements and electric vehicles. [Read more…]

ACT Pensioner Rebates For Solar & To Help Ditch Gas: How To Apply

Canberra pensioner rebates for solar and ditching gas

If you’re an ACT pensioner interested in getting solar panels installed; provided you live in your own home, I have good news.  To help meet their target of zero net emissions by 2045, the ACT Government is offering a rebate of up to $2,500.

But this isn’t the only good news I have. [Read more…]

Randwick City Council Solar, Battery & Other Rebates Explained

Solar and battery rebates in Randwick LGA

Randwick City Council Has Buckets Of Solar, Battery & Sustainability Rebates

There are a lot of local councils in Australia, but there’s none better than Sydney’s Randwick Council. Their incentives are so generous a household could receive rebates of up to… [Read more…]

Dumb Solar Shutdown Device: Queensland Goes It Alone On GSD

Generation Signalling Device (GSD) - Queensland solar shutdown strategy

Queensland is taking the lead in going backwards on solar power, with Energy Queensland mandating a new device, a few new acronyms, a new layer of complexity for installers and a new expense for owners of some new solar power systems. [Read more…]

South Australia Proves You Can Go Off-Grid With A Million People

South Australian renewable energy transition

In November 2022, South Australia experienced a ferocious storm that decoupled us from the rest of the electricity grid and felled many local power lines. Functioning as an island, we couldn’t export to the bigger national network, so without that safety valve, SA Power Networks (SAPN) was obliged to pull out all the stops to maintain stability. [Read more…]

New Rules In WA Screw Over Rural Solar, Battery & EV Buyers

Western Australia - Circuit Breaker Main Switch rule

Earlier this year in Western Australia, a rule went into effect that all new or altered electricity network connections must have a circuit breaker as the main switch.  In some cases, this circuit breaker will trip if you use more than a piddly 20 Amps in your home. [Read more…]

Federal Election ’22: Clean Energy Scorecard, The Good, The Meh, & The Ugly

Australian Federal Election 2022 - clean energy policy comparisons

The federal election is only four weeks away, so I decided to make an in depth study of the environmental policies of all major political parties and rank them from best to worst:

  • Greens
  • Labor
  • Coalition

That didn’t take long. [Read more…]

Russian Invasion Makes IEA Nuclear Predictions Impossible

Impact of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on the nuclear power industry

Last year the International Energy Agency (IEA) published a long report where — among other things — they predicted the rate of new nuclear construction would roughly double.  When I first read this, I considered it nearly impossible.  But now Russia has invaded Ukraine, I consider it flat out impossible. [Read more…]

Australian Submarines May Go Nuclear But Our Power Stations Never Will

Nuclear power stations and Australia

Australia recently decided to buy nuclear-powered submarines as part of the AUKUS pact with the UK and United States. 

Assuming it goes ahead, the first sub may be ready around 2040.  But while our submarines may have nuclear reactors, our power stations never will. [Read more…]

ACT Sustainable Household Scheme: 0% Loans With Batshit Crazy Small Print

Canberra Sustainable Household Scheme

The ACT’s Sustainable Household Scheme will soon be in full operation.  It makes zero-interest, zero-fee loans available to households for rooftop solar, batteries, electric car chargers and energy efficiency measures such as replacing gas appliances.  In the future, it will be available for new and used electric vehicles. [Read more…]

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