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A better focus for the former prime minister than fending off Brookfield’s ~$30bn of decarbonisation capital that comes with its bid for gentailer Origin would be using his influence to press for reform of the short-term performance test benchmarks that penalise the superannuation industry for investments in future facing, low carbon industries. Read more

The renewable energy pledge was welcomed by climate campaigners and analysts. Tim Buckley, director of the independent think tank Clean Energy Finance, said it was excellent to see Australia backing the commitment. He said falling costs had made the transition to renewables “an entirely economically sensible and viable commitment”. Read more

More than a hundred countries have joined in a commitment to triple renewable energy capacity by the end of the decade. Climate Energy Finance director Tim Buckley says it is a ‘tiny shuffle’ in the right direction. Read more

Climate Energy Finance said the commitment at COP28 by over 100 countries to triple renewables by 2030 – particularly Australia, US, EU, Canada and Japan – was “excellent”. “Two years ago this would have been seen as next to impossible,” director Tim Buckley said in a statement. “But with China having transformed the world’s (manufacturing) capability to deliver on decarbonisation, this goal will collectively bend the climate trajectory towards what the science clearly dictates.” Read more

China’s surging investment in clean power is challenging a century of fossil fuel hegemony. China is rapidly leading the global clean energy transition, challenging fossil fuel dominance. Recent report by Climate Energy Finance reveals that China’s top State Owned Enterprises (SOEs) are aligning with the government’s ambitious energy targets, aiming for peak CO2 emissions before 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060. As China accelerates decarbonization, the world has been offered a transformative moment to reach science-based climate targets on time. Read more

Wholesale prices of electricity are down about 50 per cent in the 2023 calendar year, relative to 2022, because the “hyperinflation of gas and coal commodity prices internationally over 2022 has now in 2023 progressively come off [more than] 70 per cent from their peak”, according to Climate Energy Finance director Tim Buckley. The government is being transparent about this, in sharp contrast to Angus Taylor, who, as energy minister in the Morrison government, sat on the relevant report predicting significant price increases in the run-up to the last election. Read more

Our Chinese energy SOEs report by Xuyang Dong mentioned in Australia Financial News – An Australia-based Chinese-language news outlet. Read more

In 2020 China set a target of deploying 1200 gigawatts of wind and solar by 2030. (For comparison’s sake, the total capacity of Australia’s grid is 71 gigawatts.) It is now set to reach that target in 2024, six years early. Its annual deployment has doubled this year after leaping by 50 per cent last year. It is installing the equivalent of Australia’s east coast grid in renewables alone, every three months, says the CEF’s director, Tim Buckley. Read more

Demand for Australian coal from the nation’s biggest customer is heading for long-term decline as China changes course on energy investment, research shows. According to a report released on Thursday by independent think tank Climate Energy Finance, Australia must urgently respond and pursue new partnerships with China to replace jobs. Lead author of the report, Xuyang Dong tracked the investment trends of China’s top five enterprises, which she said pointed to the possibility of the superpower exceeding its energy goals. Read more

China has vaulted ahead of the rest of the world in solar and wind power installations in 2023, accelerating the energy transition for Australia’s biggest export customer and posing a growing threat to future coal exports. “China’s demand for Australian exports of thermal and coking coal is set to decline structurally over the longer term due to the greening of China’s power sector and economy,” said Climate Energy Finance director Tim Buckley. “The report recommends that to minimise economic risk, Australia urgently comprehends and responds at speed to align with China’s massive investment pivot.” Read more

CEF’s China energy policy analyst, report lead author Xuyang Dong, tracked investment trends of China’s 5 top State Owned Enterprises, reviewing reporting disclosures and corporate data in the original Chinese. Xuyang Dong said: “China is decarbonising the world and the Chinese energy SOEs are playing a significant role in this process, as their massive capital expenditure pivot into renewables and cleantech shows. China’s ambition to lead the greening of the world is evident in its energy policies and climate goals, and reflected in energy SOEs’ capex trends, which highlight the possibility of China exceeding its energy goals. ” Read more

At the 28th annual United Nations Climate Change Conference, starting on Thursday, negotiators from around the world will try to thrash out new global commitments to mitigate and adapt to climate change, one of the toughest challenges facing humanity. The world will also be looking to China to signal an intention to put a price on carbon emissions in domestic goods and imports, said Tim Buckley, director at Australia-based think tank Climate Energy Finance. “This would elevate China’s global leadership in all zero-emissions industries of the future and would signal the need for a clear international price on carbon emissions in global trade,” he said. Read more