Renewables outcompete gas power for the fifth year in a row
Gas continues its death spiral with its market share in the global electricity sector falling for the fifth consecutive year as clean power increasingly meets rising electricity demands, according to a new analysis by global energy and climate think tank Ember. Globally, solar generation grew 17 times faster than gas in 2025, while gas growth fell to around half the rate seen in 2016-2020.
The largest absolute decline in gas-fired generation came from Japan, one of Australia’s most important natural gas export partners.
The analysis attributed this trend towards a decreasing reliance on gas to concerns over energy security, as geopolitical disruptions expose the risks of import-dependent systems.
New coalition kickstarts carbon credit buying in Asia
The new Action for a Resilient Climate Coalition aims to kick-start carbon credit buying in Asia with hoped for support from global organisations including Mitsubishi, China media company Tencent, and the World Wide Fund for Nature Singapore, Trellis Group reports.
The publication says the move comes alongside growth in corporate demand for high-integrity carbon credits to fund global climate projects.
Members of the group aim to drive procurements of at least 10 million credits by 2030. The buyer group will pool corporate buying power to guarantee a market for carbon offset projects, improving market integrity and easing due diligence for buyers.
Barangaroo’s 4th and final solar farm powers a carbon-neutral future
The Carawatha Solar Farm in the NSW Riverina has become the fourth and final regional solar farm to power Barangaroo in Sydney, marking the precinct’s 10th consecutive year of carbon-neutral certification.
The completion of the project is a result of the NSW Government’s $48 million Green Product Purchase Agreement with CleanPeak Energy to invest in a reliable electricity network and help transition the state to clean energy. Together, the four solar farms generate around 55,000 megawatt hours of renewable energy each year, equivalent to powering around 10,000 homes.
As part of the 25-year agreement, the renewable energy infrastructure will guarantee the Barangaroo precinct remains entirely carbon neutral and secures renewable energy certificates through to 2050.
NSW participation reform raises PIA concerns
The Planning Institute of Australia is calling for the NSW government’s proposed Statewide Community Participation Plan to encourage community engagement earlier in the planning process. Under established NSW planning rules, a seven-day pre-commencement notice has been standard for complying developments in metropolitan areas. The newly proposed reforms will alter and reduce notification requirements for the commencement of complying developments across other planning pathways without ensuring strategic-level engagement has occurred first.
The move was made to streamline planning approvals, address the housing crisis, and standardise consultation.
In a media release, PIA said that while the organisation does not oppose the housing agenda, it cautions the NSW government to ensure efficiency doesn’t compromise public trust, transparency, and fairness.
Australia may miss out on the green iron opportunity
Australia could miss out on a $100 billion green iron and steel industry, according to a new report from Deloitte and World Wide Fund for Nature Australia. While Australia has the iron ore and renewable energy resources to be a global leader in the industry, the federal government’s inaction on this trading front prevents buyers, including Japan, Korea, and China, from engaging.
The report calls on the federal government to prioritise low-emissions supply chains to create the potential for a green trade corridor, and criticises the government’s focus on securing energy partnerships and fuel supply arrangements. The report also argues for the value of decarbonising iron and steel production to stabilise global temperatures.
New partnership for the future of residential energy efficiency
Australian-based environmental and sustainability consulting firm, Certified Energy, has announced its partnership with Cotality Australia, the largest provider of property information, analytics, and risk management services in Australia and New Zealand. The collaboration came in response to the NSW Government’s NatHERS for Existing Homes scheme, a program set to expand energy ratings to houses that have already been built as part of the Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme.
In the organisation’s announcement, Certified Energy called the partnership a “proactive step” to ensure the market is ready with high-volume assessment capability.
The collaboration is set to test commercial models’ energy ratings for assessors, address coverage and scalability challenges in NSW, and leverage property data to increase the efficiency of home assessments.
What we’re listening to
ABC’s The Radio National Hour reports that Community Land Trusts which have been profiled in The Fifth Estate with Louise Crabtree Hayes, and who is interviewed in the production, could offer a vital lifeline out of Australia’s housing crisis by separating land from building ownership. In doing so, the nonprofit, community-based organisations could remove the high cost of land from the purchase price by keeping the land in trust and selling only the physical home for buyers to access homeownership at a much lower entry point.
Originally developed in the US, the housing model is well-established overseas and expanded globally as a tool to fight gentrification. Crabtree Hayes, a professional research fellow at Western Sydney University, said that in Australia, the model would be primarily targeted for people with a stable income who traditionally would have been able to get into home ownership but are unable to with recent rising prices.
