Electric dreams realised in solar milestone
Australia may be topping the charts when it comes to rooftop solar and home batteries but will AI data centres keep the nation tied to fossil fuel?
A big climate win for the entire world was unveiled this month with news that installed solar capacity had reached the momentous milestone of 3 terawatts.
So, what is 3 terawatts of installed solar capacity, you might be wondering.
BloombergNEF, which broke the story, puts things in perspective with the comparison that the first terawatt of solar (since its invention in the 1950s) was not achieved until 2022. The second terawatt followed not long after in 2024, with the third terawatt achieved this year.
The good tidings do not end there. BNEF predicts that strong solar growth in developing nations could deliver 9 terawatts by 2036, well and truly displacing fossil fuels as the world’s dominant power source.
With Australia topping the global charts when it comes to installed rooftop solar (more than one in three homes now have panels), the focus is now on the “missing middle” with new government incentives targeting small businesses and apartments with solar and battery discounts, as reported in SmartCompany.
And while on the topic of home batteries, the federal government also revealed this month that more than half a million batteries have been installed under its Cheaper Home Batteries program running since July last year, which, according to Bloomberg, now also places Australia in top global spot for home battery installations.
Just ask Electric Saul
As homes and small businesses increasingly opt to generate electricity from their rooftops, the path isn’t always straightforward for households seeking to move away from non-renewable power sources and home appliances.
To help bridge this knowledge gap, Australian engineer, entrepreneur and electrification expert Dr Saul Griffith has created a free, automated tool to help people go electric at home.
Dr Griffith said:
“EV’s are more popular than ever, home batteries are taking off, and more households are realising they can run their life on Australian sunshine instead of imported petrol and gas. But the next question is always the same: where do I start? That is why we built Electric Saul."
"Electric Saul" was developed with Google and launched this month on the Rewiring Australia website.
Fossil future for data centres
AI data centres were in the spotlight even more than usual this month as the federal government attempted to establish national standards to limit their capacity to drain community power and water supplies across the country.
