In this week’s issue of Solar Tidbits: (1) Australia achieves a Record 37.5 % Renewable Energy Share for the Year on the Last Day of Winter (2) Twin Funding boosts for Electrification of Social Housing and Solar for Apartments (3) Victoria announces New Grant Recipients and a New Community Battery Funding Round
Australia achieves a Record 37.5 % Renewable Energy Share for the Year on the Last Day of Winter
Photo Credit: NextTracker
On August 31, the final day of winter, Australia’s main grid established a new rolling benchmark for renewable energy share of 37.5% for the previous 12 months.
Energy analyst Simon Holmes à Court announced the new milestone on Twitter/X along with a graph from the OpenNem data portal that he helped create.
“On the last day of winter, Australia’s National Electricity Market reached a record annual average of 37.5% (3/8ths!) renewables,” he wrote.
According to Holmes à Court, gas made up just 5.0% of the total after its lowest winter gas usage since 2004 and coal decreased to 57.4% after its lowest winter coal usage in recorded history.
Data nerds and policy experts may have noticed a discrepancy with the federal government’s March quarter emissions data, which claimed a share of 39% in the 12 months to March 31, rising to nearly 40% in the 12 months to June 30.
More about this article: https://bit.ly/3L6tTvR
Twin Funding boosts for Electrification of Social Housing and Solar for Apartments
Photo Credit: AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts
An additional portion of joint federal and state government funding announced on Tuesday has boosted rooftop solar for apartment dwellers as well as electrification and energy efficiency upgrades for social housing in Victoria.
The $108 million agreement between the federal government and Victorian Labor is intended to provide energy savings to households in the state that are in greatest need of them as well as to those who have limited access to rooftop solar.
The two governments have contributed $46 million to the state’s Energy Efficiency in Social Housing program, bringing the total to $92 million. This money will be used to electrify and modernize public housing by installing energy-efficient electric appliances like air conditioners, hot water heaters, and cooktops.
Apartment residents will receive up to 5,000 rooftop solar installations worth up to $2,800 each through grants totalling up to $140,000 for each apartment building, thanks to the addition of another $16 million.
More about this article: https://bit.ly/3L9U4lp
Victoria announces New Grant Recipients and a New Community Battery Funding Round
Photo credit: Jemena
The Victorian government has launched the first round of a new, strengthened program that it hopes will assist in delivering 100 more community batteries across the state, and it has announced the third round of grant recipients from its $10.9 million Neighbourhood Battery Initiative.
The first round of grants under the new $42.2 million Neighbourhood Battery Program is now open to public entities, private businesses and agencies, educational institutions, local government, co-operatives, and not-for-profit organizations, according to state energy minister Lily D’Ambrosio on Monday.
A campaign pledge made by Victorian Labor during the state election last November, the new program’s first round will provide a total of $10 million, with up to $300,000 in project funding available for each battery.
More about this article: https://bit.ly/3QZtnnn
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