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Articles on cost of renewable energy

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Many have argued the energy industry needs to change to reduce carbon emissions, but one concern that remains is the consequence this will have on economic prosperity. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

Renewable energy innovation isn’t just good for the climate — it’s also good for the economy

Recent research about energy industry restructuring options for a green transition indicates that innovation in renewable energy positively influences GDP.
South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill, SA Liberal leader Steven Marshall and SA Best leader Nick Xenophon at a leaders’ debate hosted by the ABC. AAP Image/Morgan Sette

FactCheck: does South Australia have the ‘highest energy prices’ in the nation and ‘the least reliable grid’?

SA Liberal Party leader Steven Marshall said that state Labor policy had left South Australians with ‘the highest energy prices in Australia’ and ‘the least reliable grid’. Is that right?
The price of new-build renewable energy is expected to fall significantly relative to new-build coal energy in coming years. AAP Image/Lucy Hughes Jones

Renewables will be cheaper than coal in the future. Here are the numbers

The price of renewable energy will fall significantly relative to new-build coal in coming decades, making an all-renewable electricity system more desirable, both economically and environmentally.
The prime minister described Labor’s renewables pledge as “truly bizarre”. AAP Image/Mick Tsikas

FactCheck: Would Labor’s renewable energy plan cost consumers $60 billion?

Prime Minister Tony Abbott said this week that Labor’s pledge to source half the nation’s power from renewable energy by 2030 will “mean a massive bill, perhaps $60 billion or more, that will have to be carried by the consumers of Australia.” Is that right?
South Australia’s wind farms have coped without baseload power before - they can do it again. Fairv8/Wikimedia Commons

Coal closures give South Australia the chance to go 100% renewable

Coal closures announced this week in South Australia will cause employment pain, but could also help pave the way for the state to go 100% renewable - something that modelling suggests is eminently possible.
Renewables or oil? The former means betting each-way on energy storage. The latter means hoping to pull off a trifecta on carbon storage. Hans Engbers/Shutterstock.com

Only a mug punter would bet on carbon storage over renewables

The question of whether the future will be powered by coal and oil or by renewable energy is crucially important, both to the medium-term future of the Australian economy and to the long-term future of…
The government knows that solar panel subsidies are very popular with voters. zstock/Shutterstock

The pitfalls of using renewable energy as a political football

Federal industry minister Ian Macfarlane has finally revealed his opening gambit on negotiations on the future of the Renewable Energy Target (RET). He and environment minister Greg Hunt have pledged to…
Up in the air: the federal government is still trying to get bipartisan support for its plan to scale back renewable energy investment. AAP

Planned cut to renewable energy target ‘a free kick’ for fossil fuels

The federal government’s plan to reduce Australia’s Renewable Energy Target (RET) could jeopardise billions of dollars in investment while giving a boost to the fossil fuel sector, experts have predicted…
Fracking for gas - not a silver bullet for emissions reduction. US Geological Survey/Wikimedia Commons

Natural gas boom is ‘not the answer for cutting emissions’

The boom in natural gas supplies brought about by techniques like fracking will not automatically deliver the anticipated cuts to greenhouse emissions, a new analysis has warned. Burning natural gas produces…
The Renewable Energy Target adds just over a dollar a week to your power bills. AAP Image/Alan Porritt

Review calls for Renewable Energy Target cuts: what it means

The long-awaited review of Australia’s Renewable Energy Target has been released and, as widely predicted, has recommended winding back or even scrapping the various parts of the scheme. We asked Conversation…
Clouding the issue: the latest analysis of the impact of the Renewable Energy Target contradicts previous reports. Bo-deh/Wikimedia Commons

How does the Renewable Energy Target affect your power bills?

The review of the Renewable Energy Target is due to be handed to the federal government any day now, yet amazingly there are still conflicts over whether the policy makes electricity more or less expensive…
Even when the wind doesn’t blow, it is technically possible for Australia to get all its electricity needs from renewable sources. David Clarke/Flickr

Renewable energy is ready to supply all of Australia’s electricity

In a recent article on The Conversation, University of Melbourne Professor Emeritus Frank Larkins wrote that Australia’s targets to increase renewable energy will make electricity more expensive, thanks…

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