This Week in Solar: Clean Energy – Driving Australia’s economic recovery

1. Complete Guide to Solar: Components of a System

With the right equipment and installation, you can get a quality experience from your system. Read more about the most important issues to consider on what’s needed for a solar energy system in Solar Trust Centre’s blog post here.

2. If clean energy is to drive Australia’s economic recovery, let’s keep it local

If we still rely on international supply chains for wind, solar and other projects, Australian jobs will be foregone.

The key to making this happen is to require local content as part of the renewables led recovery. Simply hoping for the trickle-down benefits of short-term construction jobs, while valuable, is not good enough.

3. Rooftop solar market powers on in Australia, despite Covid-19 blip

The Australian rooftop solar market remains strong, posting its third highest monthly volume in May despite two consecutive monthly falls that finally reflect the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on installations

The latest data from industry analysts Sunwiz shows that 220MW of small scale rooftop solar was registered in the month of May, down from April which in turn was down from the record high level in March. But it was still the third highest month on record.

4. PV plants lasting longer, with lower operational costs

Solar plants are now expected to last 32.5 years and have operational costs of $17 per kW/year, as shown by a Berkeley Lab survey of industry participants.

5. Renewable shift holds 45,000-job opportunity for Australia – study

Australia could stand on the cusp of a boom of skilled green energy jobs across left-behind rural areas if it embraces renewables post-pandemic, according to the Clean Energy Council (CEC), which is Australia’s renewable energy association.

6. CEC publishes first ever national study of renewable energy workforce

The continuing dominance of the small-scale solar sector and the great potential for regional and rural jobs are just some of the findings in the Clean Energy Council’s “Clean Energy At Work”, a first-of-its-kind extensive report into the current renewable energy workforce and its potential over the next 10-15 years.

7. Renewable energy projects worth billions predicted as NSW pushes ahead with targeted zones

The New South Wales Government is urging businesses to pitch renewable energy projects as part of Australia’s first ‘renewable energy zone’ in the state’s Central West.

There is just a week to submit expressions of interest for the pilot program, with construction expected to begin in 2022.