Solar battery deal for giant smelter is a stunning game-changer for Australian energy Choice of wind, solar and battery storage to power giant smelters means the biggest consumers of energy are moving beyond fossil fuels and “baseload”. Here’s why.

How rapidly things change! Aluminium smelters need 950°C+ & 24/7 power—yet Rio Tinto’s Gladstone plant is going 80% solar + batteries (600MW/2.4GWh)! A game-changer proving even the most energy-hungry industries can ditch fossil fuels. If smelters can, what’s next? Steel? Cement? 🚀⚡ #Renewables

Building Electrification – Regulatory Impact Statement Have your say on proposed options to progressively electrify residential and commercial buildings across Victoria.

Make sure you have your say about Victoria's plans to electrify buildings. Electrified homes are cheaper to run, healthier and cleaner. Now is the time to push harder on electrification. @rewiringaus.bsky.social engage.vic.gov.au/building-ele...

How you could save $3000 in power bills by making simple changes Millions of households are missing out on cheaper bills totalling more than $23 billion each year. A few “quick fixes” can unlock your share.

Great to see the benefits of home electrification becoming clearer in Australia. As the Property Council chief says "Helping households electrify is a no-brainer. This will help cut emissions and, most importantly, lower power bills". www.smh.com.au/environment/...

“Crucial support:” Federal Labor launches $2bn green aluminium production credit scheme The prime minister is unveiling a green aluminium production credit scheme that will provide financial support to smelters changing their energy source before 2036.

Excellent announcement . Aluminium and alumina production is a big part of our domestic emissions.

Basic ratio of 1 coal plant for each smelter.

Decarbonising heavy industry is possible and this will help drive the transition faster and retain the metal industry workforce.

Key facts from AAAS/SciLine page on climate/wildfire connection

The peer-reviewed science shows that the primary factor behind the increase in wildfire extent in the western U.S. is increased aridity and fuel load due to human-caused warming.

Via #AAAS #SciLine: www.sciline.org/climate/clim...

175 maps showing temperature change from 1850 to 2024

Mapping changes in temperature: 2024 edition

Dear journalists, if you're writing/publishing/broadcasting about the Los Angeles wildfires and you don't mention the role of #climate change, you're not doing your full job.

Big news of 2024 car sales?

Won't be further EV sales up (as is clear)
but how far ICE car sales are down (as they already are)

ICE 2024 vehicle registrations likely 43M, lowest for 4 years, down 2.3M (5%) on 2023

My early revisions awaiting final 2024 data
electriccarsreport.com/2024/12/glob...

It’s worse than any war or pandemic, so why are our leaders ignoring it? Tell me I’m not dreaming: 2025 could be the year of bipartisan action on catastrophic climate change.

Happy 2025 - apologies if this has already been posted a million times, but it's a great piece to start the year with! www.smh.com.au/environment/...

Is ‘force of nature’ the very best compliment you can give someone?

Good morning with good news: The world is on track to install nearly 600 GW of solar in 2024.

To put that solar tsunami in context, the world had installed a total of 760 GW of solar by 2020.

Global solar deployment will be up 29% in 2024 over 2023. Wow!
www.vox.com/climate/3728...
#energysky

Note the gas cooktop in the background!

A heated debate – how safe are gas stoves?

If you are busy throwing out your black plastic utensils - don't forget the way more toxic device lurking in your kitchen... www.unsw.edu.au/newsroom/new...

Is big tech going all in on nuclear? Google and Microsoft have just pledged $45 billion on renewables In just the last week Microsoft and Google have pledged $50 billion in spending on renewables. Not exactly all in on nuclear as the Coalition suggests.

In just the last week Microsoft and Google have pledged $50 billion in spending on #renewables. Not exactly all in on #nuclear as the Coalition suggests

CSIRO refutes Coalition case nuclear is cheaper than renewable energy due to operating life National science agency dismisses argument nuclear’s economics have not been adequately considered in new draft report

CSIRO puts out its GenCost report on electricity costs annually. The Coalition and nuclear advocates have attacked it. CSIRO went back to the data and looked at the criticisms for its latest draft report. Concluded the criticisms don’t stack up. Explained why.

www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

Locals benefiting from renewables transition in very direct ways | New England Times While much of the focus on building the Renewable Energy Zone has been the land use conflict on our farms, and some farmers cashing in while others miss out, many local residents are also finding ways...

Locals benefiting from renewables transition in very direct ways | New England Times

#renewables #solarenergy

www.netimes.com.au/2024/12/09/a...

Power couple: green energy, gas giant bet on renewables - Michael West An Italian renewable energy giant and Japan’s largest oil and gas company are plugging into Australia’s clean energy resources under the banner of a new company. Potentia Energy will be launched at th...

An Italian #renewable energy giant and #Japan’s largest oil and gas company are plugging into #Australia’s clean energy resources under the banner of a new company.

#auspol

michaelwest.com.au/power-couple...

Now up to 7 days in a row of gas-sponsored coverage in the Murdoch tabloids....

STRIKING NEW DATA: More than a quarter of new cars sold in the UK in November were battery EVs (so much for "stalling sales")

📈BEV sales up 51% year-on-year
📉Petrol sales down 35% year-on-year (!)

Data from New Automotive

How can News Corp call its gas splash an ‘exclusive’ and a ‘special report’ when it’s paid for by industry? | Adam Morton Readers are led to believe a short-on-facts advertorial exhorting government to let companies extract more gas is straight news coverage

A column today

How can News Corp call its gas splash an ‘exclusive’ and a ‘special report’ when it’s paid for by industry?

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Australian households’ energy bills could be 20% lower in 10 years, report finds AEMC says electrification of homes, including ending use of gas for heating and cooking, could reduce costs by about $1,000 a year

(New from me): Australian households’ energy bills could be 20% lower in 10 years, report finds

www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

NEW TEXT at #COP29 confirms we won't get a decision on who hosts COP31 in 2026 until June next year, at the earliest

Seems neither Australia nor Turkey are willing to step back from their bids

www.carbonbrief.org/...

Our most dangerous debt could be our cars

As #EVs surge in popularity and reduce in price, now in 2024 becoming price competitive with ICE cars, 2nd-hand ICE cars will soon rapidly devalue, leaving car owners with loans on repayments for a vehicle that may be suddenly worth much less than the loan

Australia has huge global green iron potential, but if we blink we’ll miss it As Brazil, the Middle East and Africa position themselves to lead the green iron race, Australia is at a fork in the road.

“The opportunity is real, and we must be bold, or we will miss the progressive opportunity of going from a fossil fuel export economy to a green metal export economy." #EnergyTransition #Auspol reneweconomy.com.au/australia-ha...

Making Australia a renewable energy exporting superpower An energy transmission network between Australia and Indonesia could help both nations achieve 100% renewable electricity by 2050.

Making Australia a Renewable Energy Exporting Superpower #COP29 #RenewableEnergy theconversation.com/making-austr...