Our work

China Energy Policy Analyst Xuyang Dong argues that, despite the declining hydropower caused by climate change-led drought and heatwaves in China, China’s ambition and determination on energy transition remains intact. China showed heavier reliance on coal in May, while continues renewable expansion at the same time. Read more

CEF sees unprecedented trade and investment opportunities, in the order of hundreds of billions of dollars, for Australia to “ship sunshine”, embodying decarbonisation in its exports by using its solar and wind energy to process its world-leading critical minerals reserves, and to power manufacturing of energy transition materials. Australia has a once in a century opportunity for investment in renewables, exports, technology and employment, including in and driven by solar. It should seize it. Read more

As CEF’s new report details, we are seeing massive global solar momentum on three related fronts: rapid ongoing solar price deflation, multifold increases in solar manufacturing capacity and successive record solar deployments. This is coupled with the surge in electric vehicles, battery supply chains and most recently, the massive new opportunities to ‘electrify everything’. In CEF’s view this creates the conditions for a series of global cascading energy, transport and industry tipping points that have the potential to dramatically accelerate the decline of the incumbent fossil fuel industry, and the decarbonisation of the world economy. The economics of solar power are now compelling, and will only get stronger this decade. Our new report tracks progress in China – which is leading by a huge margin – the US, the EU, India and Australia, and includes key recommendations for Australia to leverage its potential as a renewables superpower. Read more

China remains ahead in leading global cleantech investment during its domestic renewable energy expansion. While the investment in renewables is unevenly split across the world, China continues to mobilise capital to the Global South to help developing countries in energy transition. 2023 is the tipping point for China to peak its coal use as well as its emissions. Australia should seize this opportunity to work with China, as well as other countries, in order to become a renewable superpower. Read more

As AER flags significant electricity price hikes from July 1, we note that these increases are half what they would have been without the federal government intervention to cap wholesale coal and gas prices in December 2022, as AER acknowledged. Our expectation is that retail prices may have peaked, and we look at the prospects for power prices against the backdrop of the rise of deflationary renewables and global race to decarbonisation. Read more

As APPEA members and lobbyists gather for the annual gas shills’ jamboree and talkfest, we take a forensic look at Resources Minister Madeleine King’s keynote address, and deconstruct the baseless claim that we need more gas – when what we need is a fast, dramatic and wholesale pivot to value-adding critical minerals and energy transition materials onshore, backed by a landmark injection of public investment. With the world responding to the game-changing $1tn US Inflation Reduction Act, we delay, we lose. And the train is leaving the station. Read more

Tim Buckley’s presentation to the board of Argo Investments takes a deep dive into global energy transition, looking at major policy initiatives and capital inflows accelerating decarbonisation in the US, China, India, the EU, Canada and Korea, with a focus the implications for Australian policy and investment. Read more

The Federal Budget is a mixed bag for climate and energy with a serious case of underreach on fixing the failed PRRT gas tax, but some good policy and funding progress on a National Net Zero Authority, energy bill relief and home and business electrification, and measures to respond to the global race to renewables, such as $2bn for a green Hydrogen Headstart program – all in the context of a massive surprise $4.2bn surplus. However, we need to see more fiscal ambition to respond to game-changing international policy and funding reforms such as the US Inflation Reduction Act that are turbocharging global energy transition. Read more

China continues to lead the world in all aspects of the global development of zero emissions industries of the future, both in terms of domestic deployment and manufacturing supply chains, both for domestic and export purposes. To meet increasing electricity demand, China is deploying both more coal power plants and more renewables. However, renewables are now leading China’s newly added power capacity. Read more

Tim Buckley’s presentation to the Smart Energy Council conference looks at the massive global acceleration of decarbonisation, including via the funding and policy reforms of Biden’s IRA which has turbocharged the transition in the US. What are the implications for the imminent Federal Budget if Australia to position itself as a global leader in the new cleantech world economy? Read more

In this submission, we argue that the currently patently redundant and inadequate methodology for assessing methane emissions from coal mines be modernised to incorporate the latest science and new methods, including real time public disclosure of monitoring, reporting and verification. Read more

Woodside Energy risks lumping investors with a multibillion dollar bill, says CEF director Tim Buckley. That’s the cost of meeting measures in the newly legislated Federal climate policy, the Safeguard Mechanism. Read more