The Australian political response to the COVID-19 pandemic has proved that governments can act quickly if conditions demand it, even if that means overturning longstanding ideological obstacles.

The CEO of the Australian Renewable Energy Agency has said it is clear that the technologies exist for transition to a renewables-based electricity grid. It is only old rules and regulations that are getting in the way and preventing it from happening.

If you’ve been thinking of taking a trip down the coast you could do worse than dropping in at the Solar Battery Showcase this Friday taking place as part of the North Coast Energy Forum at the Coffs Harbour Showgrounds.

Australian energy utility AGL Energy has spent $A28 million snapping up a minority stake in US-based battery storage solutions provider Sunverge as it seeks to accelerate its push into distributed generation and rooftop solar and storage and smart software.

The battery storage market is expected to finally ‘explode’ in Australia in 2016, with the residential sector expected to grow 20-fold over the next 12 months, writes Giles Parkinson.

Electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla has unveiled its long awaited battery storage offerings which are set to revolutionise the energy industry and accelerate the exit of coal generators.

The Australian Energy Regulator says the energy market faces a revolution in coming years from customers with the ability to generate and store their own electricity. And it warns that unless they are allowed to fully participate in the market, many will simply walk away from the grid.

Halfway through April this year, scientists at Harvard and MIT announced something extraordinary: they had found a way to create solar cells that can store accumulated energy from sunlight, and then, with no more than a burst of a few photons, release that energy in a steady and continuous form.