With a bit of political vision, risk-taking and a national strategy led by government, Australia too can kickstart investment in the post-COVID recovery.
The blocks can be used to run steam turbines at power stations as a clean alternative to burning coal, and at a fraction of the price of storing energy in batteries.
Building renewable energy infrastructure involves mining for materials such as lithium, graphite and cobalt. If not done responsibly, that could cause huge environmental damage.
Llewelyn Hughes, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University
The Japanese government will retire its fleet of old, inefficient coal-fired generation by 2030. If Japan’s commitment to coal weakens, our exports can expect a big hit.
Lily O'Neill, Australian National University; Brad Riley, Australian National University; Ganur Maynard, Australian National University, and Janet Hunt, Australian National University
Yes, transitioning Australia to a zero-carbon economy is essential, but the federal government must remedy this imbalance.
New Zealand’s electricity generation is already more than 80% renewable, but experts warn a 100% target would require significant over-building of renewable generation that would rarely be used.