The world is rapidly moving to affordable clean energy, EVs, batteries and electrotech, and well over 50% this is driven by China. Analyst and financier Tim Buckley details the pace of this change with implications for Australia’s own transition, exports and carbon pricing. Read more

New South Wales has approved the plans of Australia’s largest listed coal miner to transform a retired mine site in the Hunter region into a renewable energy hub capable of dispatching 300 megawatts of energy over a 12-hour period, using a combination of pumped hydro and solar power. NSW minister for planning Paul Scully said on Wednesday that the $1.8 billion Stratford Pumped Hydro and Solar project has been given the green light for construction at the site of Yancoal Australia’s Stratford Mining Complex (SMC), a former open-cut coal mine in the Gloucester Basin, north of Newcastle. Read more

NSW has approved a $1.8 billion solar and pumped hydro project in the Hunter Valley, creating 350 construction jobs and providing enough long-duration storage to power 120,000 homes. Featured on 9 News, the report highlighted the project’s role in the state’s renewable energy transition amid ongoing political debate over energy policy. Read more

Tim Buckley joined ABC to discuss Australia’s renewable energy transition, highlighting the importance of accelerating investment in clean energy and storage to strengthen energy security and reduce electricity costs. He emphasised the need for coordinated policy, timely grid upgrades, and greater certainty for investors to support the shift away from coal. The interview also explored the economic opportunities of renewable energy, including regional job creation, improved competitiveness, and Australia’s potential to become a global clean energy leader. Read more

Last week again demonstrated the growing unreliability of end of life coal fired power plants which costs Australians and domestic heavy industry dearly. Paul McArdle of WattClarity highlights the massive spike in power prices on 8 July 2026 that saw pricing average >A$300/MWh for most of the evening peak across not just Victoria but the entire National Electricity Market (NEM) last Wednesday. From 10.05am, the 6 x Loy Yang lignite coal-fired power plant units across Loy Yang A (AGL) and Loy Yang B (now Sembcorp owned Alinta) rebid upwards due to a ‘coal shortfall’. Read more

Australia has blazed a trail as one of the fastest-growing export markets for Chinese batteries amid a rapid shift to domestic renewable energy by one of the world’s largest fossil fuel producers. Read more

Stored power is increasingly meeting evening demand and reducing the case for some new transmission lines, said Commonwealth Bank of Australia energy economist John Oh. Australia’s energy market operator expects pooled home batteries to eliminate A$5 billion in grid-scale battery investments. “Distributed ​energy driven by batteries is a ​great alternative to circumvent delays in ⁠grid transmission buildout, and this can be replicated across the Asia-Pacific,” said Climate Energy Finance Director Tim Buckley. Read more

Governments, businesses and households are pivoting because electrification increasingly makes economic sense. For Australia, this presents both an opportunity and a warning. We remain the world’s third-largest exporter of fossil fuels, yet many of our biggest export markets are simultaneously accelerating their transition towards renewable electricity and electrified industries. As these economies in Asia continue reducing their dependence on imported coal and gas, Australia’s long-term export profile must change. Rather than resisting that shift in a way that leaves workers exposed to sudden shocks, we should prepare for it. Read more

Electric car sales continue to surge in Australia even as the energy crisis fades, and tax breaks on fuel begin to phase out, with both BYD and Tesla selling record numbers of vehicles last month. BYD recorded an astonishing 18,881 vehicles in June, up from 8211 in May. Its rival Tesla sold 8670 vehicles in June, surpassing its previous record of 6433 set in May. In June last year Tesla sold 4589 cars in Australia. Read more

Tim Buckley joined the Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade) and Renewable Energy Council Asia-Pacific (RECAP) delegation to China. Read more

Tim Buckley, director of Climate Energy Finance, an Australian think-tank, told ST the reservation scheme was long overdue and that the prices paid by Australian consumers for gas were “obscene”. He said the scheme, which could include a price cap for domestic sales, will ensure Australians do not pay export prices for their own gas. But, he said, the scheme will not affect export prices or volumes because the country already uses about 20 per cent of its overall supply. “The scheme is a very important and necessary initiative,” he said. Read more

John Grimes, CEO of the Renewable Energy Council Asia Pacific; Tim Buckley, Director of Climate Energy Finance; and Qian Zhengyang of Mingyang Smart Energy Group discussed China–Australia clean energy cooperation and the role of green supply chains in the global energy transition in an interview with CGTN’s Mi Sutong. Read more