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Climate Energy Finance Director Tim Buckley said the CEF welcomes the green metals support but a lot more is needed to transform Australia’s value add onshore manufacturing. “Particularly as the government works with our key trade partners to build the case for an Asian CBAM* – carbon pricing in international trade is the ultimate price signal our industry and mining critically needs,” Buckley said. “Until then, we will need to keep tapping taxpayers to fund the transition.” Climate Council economist Nicki Hutley said the confirmed funding commitments for initiatives, like green metals, are welcome. Read more

“DER can be targeted to people most in need and leverage the existing grid capacity, rather than having to wait for massive capital cost blows, and come at a lower investment cost to the government,” he told Renew Economy. Buckley suggested spending $500 million on smart meters for 1 million low income households, and potentially batteries as well, to allow those people to start benefiting from negative midday power prices. It would come at a much lower capital cost to the federal budget, make use of existing grid capacity, and be cheaper than the increasingly expensive proposed and under-construction transmission lines paid for by the $19 billion Rewiring Australia fund, he says. Read more

Chinese solar energy companies had agreed deals to build a string of factories to produce photovoltaic solar components in the United States, with over 20GW of capacity due to come online by the end of 2025, but future projects may now be at risk due to the Trump administration’s policies, the Sydney-based think tank Climate Energy Finance said in its overview of global solar manufacturing trends released on Monday. Since returning to office, Trump has raised tariffs on all Chinese goods, paused tax incentives introduced under the Inflation Reduction Act to encourage manufacturers to shift production to America, and frozen Department of Energy loans, leading Chinese solar firms to become cautious about investing in the US. “Tariffs can protect domestic manufacturers but at the cost of increasing costs for domestic consumers,” said Harry Martin, an analyst at the think tank. Read more

Tim Buckley discussed key energy issues facing Australia. He emphasized the importance of protecting national interests, particularly about key trade partners like China, Japan and Korea, and highlighted the growing importance of batteries in the energy market. He predicts that batteries will be the biggest disruption of 2025, driving the accelerating transition to electric vehicles and solar energy storage. He also noted that batteries can help lower power prices by storing solar energy during peak demand hours. Read more

The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) quarterly gas report highlights electrification of gas use is contributing to a downward trend in forecast gas consumption for commercial, residential and industrial users. Since the 2024 Gas Statement of Opportunity (GSOO), AEMO notes domestic gas consumption has continued to decline. The reduction in gas consumption has coincided with noticeably higher retail gas prices compared to recent years and slower growth of new building approvals. Read more

Tim explains that power prices are rising because Queensland hasn’t built enough new energy capacity to replace old coal-fired plants. In Queensland, prices are going up by 3-5%, while Victoria’s increase is lower at 1-3%. Read more

Tim, an expert in energy finance, argues that while renewables are not costly, Australia hasn’t built enough renewable energy capacity. He opposes nuclear power as a distraction in Australia, saying it’s too expensive and would raise prices. Instead, he recommends people use rooftop solar and batteries to cut their energy bills by up to 80%. The transition to renewables could happen faster than some politicians say, and individuals can help by using solar power and reducing grid energy use. Read more

“The single biggest opportunity for Australia is to enhance and pivot our relationship with China,” Tim Buckley, director of think tank Climate Energy Finance (CEF), tells ESN Premium ahead of Solar Media’s Energy Storage Summit Australia 2025. Buckley believes Australia’s positive trade relations with China will increase the investability prospects in the country’s energy storage market, which could prove vital in Australia’s shift to a green economy. Read more

Highlights Green iron report by Deloitte & WWF. The Fifth Estate forum with Matt Kean and Martijn Wilder hosted at the Greenhouse. China’s massive US$11bn 19GW (85% RE) Qaidam Golmud East Desert Base Power Project. Canadian Solar’s reported CY2024 BESS shipments surged 505% yoy to 6.5GWh. Engie pulls out of a Texas gas project as the numbers no longer stack up. And EV highlights for BYD, not so much for Tesla Read more

Hoping to avoid 25% tariffs, Japanese and European officials have agreed to deals analysts are describing as financially questionable. Meanwhile, […] Read more

BP returns to fossil fuels – New CEO scraps most clean energy plans. Failed green transition – Former CEO Bernard Looney tried to shift BP towards renewables, now consigned to history.  The world is investing twice as much in clean energy as in fossil fuels, with China leading the charge. Read more

Building on the federal government’s $2 billiion Aluminium Production Tax Credit announcement to decarbonise the energy demand of the nation’s aluminium smelters – the largest source of emissions in the aluminium supply chain – the $1bn Green Iron Investment Fund leverages strategic public capital to crowd in private investment into value-added green iron projects. Comparatively, iron is the largest source of emissions in the steel value chain, with blast furnaces accounting for up to 87% of traditional, coal-based steel emissions. Read more