Capital
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Australian solar wholesaler and distributor OSW secured $8.5 million in strategic funding from Shanghai-based SparkEdge Capital, a top-tier venture capital firm focused on the technology and energy sector. Earlier this year, OSW launched the GreenSketch solar design platform and founder Anson Zhang said his vision was to take their AI-driven distributed energy approach and become “the Amazon of clean energy”.
“Tools like GreenSketch are setting a new standard for clean energy delivery - and we believe OSW is positioned to lead the next wave of global solar adoption.”
Bin Wang
Partner at SparkEdge Capital
West Australian virtual power plant company Plico Energy was put up for sale as it looks to expand into the national energy market on the back of the subsidy-driven home battery boom. (AFR)
Whitehaven Coal (ASX: WHC) reported a 57% drop in FY25 profit in its first full year of owning Queensland operations at Daunia and Blackwater. Underlying earnings were $1.4 billion ($1 billion in H1 and $0.4 billion in H2) reflecting weaker coal prices, with the Queensland business contributing earnings of $0.9 billion. “Thermal coal prices have been recovering since June, and metallurgical coal markets have stabilised,” Whitehaven CEO Paul Flynn told investors, pointing to a “bright future” as Chinese demand rises.
Australian lithium ion battery manufacturer Energy Renaissance was placed into administration after a major investor withdrew from a planned funding round. (AuManufacturing)
Property giant Goodman Group (ASX: GMG) posted a 13% rise in operating earnings for FY25 to $2.3 billion as data centres boom. The group has more than a dozen data centre projects in its pipeline from Los Angeles to major cities in Europe, as well as Hong Kong, Tokyo, Sydney and Melbourne. (AFR)
 Projects
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An Australian-first community pilot in NSW’s Illawarra region has upgraded 60 homes to cheaper and cleaner electric appliances. Participants in the Electrify 2515 Community Pilot are eligible for subsidies to install appliances such as heat-pump water heaters and induction cooktops, with project partner Brighte rolling out the upgrades with accredited installers. By the end of the pilot, it is hoped 500 homes will be all-electric.
“The way this community is mobilising to reduce household emissions brings a whole new meaning to ‘people power’. The pilot shows individuals and families are willing to make changes to their homes to use renewable, locally made energy. This community effort will help pave the way for energy resilient communities across the country.”
Saul Griffith
Rewiring Australia Co- Founder and Chief Scientist
Elsewhere, rural NSW residents say a renewable energy proposal has driven a wedge through their tight-knit community. The Hampton Park solar development, located 11km outside Dubbo and part of Australia's first declared renewable energy zone, has triggered a need for mental health support for affected landholders, the ABC reported.
“For many rural Australians, the energy transition will require major, likely irreversible, changes of scale and nature that could alter their local communities, land, livelihoods, or identities … They are often opposing how the transition is being implemented and rightly asking what trade-offs they are really being required to make and what the benefits for themselves, their families and neighbours will be.”
Sara Bice
Director of ANU’s Institute for Infrastructure in Society
And a disused Hunter Valley coal power station made the case it could burn wood and call it renewable energy. (Sydney Morning Herald)
Policy
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The National Reconstruction Fund must think big, from critical minerals to clean energy, Minister for Industry and Innovation Tim Ayres writes. (Capital Brief)
New Zealand’s renewable energy supply hit a record and consumption of gas dropped to its lowest level since 2011 last year, according to a Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) report. The supply of gas fell 20.9%, while gas reserves fell 27% - mostly as operators updated surveys rather than faster depletion. Some 45.5% of the primary energy supply came from renewable sources in 2024, a record high. Just over 85% of all electricity was from renewable sources, down from 88.1% from the year before. The fall was driven by low inflows to hydro lakes in dry conditions through May, June and July, which prompted electricity spot prices to soar. Total energy consumption dropped 2.1%. (RNZ)
Tasmania kicked off a trade policy consultation process involving a survey, industry roundtables, and direct engagement with exporters, peak bodies and community stakeholders, with written submissions due by September 30.
Regulation
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Australia is unique in that it allows anyone - individuals, consumer groups or industry or governments - to submit a request to change energy rules. In the latest explainer from The Energy, Nancy Spencer from the Griffith University Centre for Applied Energy Economic & Policy Research breaks down how the rules come to be. (The Energy)
Technology
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Finnish company Liquid Sun started a pilot project to produce renewable, sustainable aviation fuel (eSAF) from biogenic carbon dioxide emissions. At the beginning of 2025, the EU’s aviation blending mandate entered into force, requiring the gradual increase of renewable fuel use in aviation up to 2050. From 2030 onwards, the mandate will also cover fully synthetic fuels produced from carbon dioxide. By 2050, the blending mandate will rise to 70%, half of which must be eSAF. The mandate applies to airports with at least 800,000 passengers or 100,000 tons of cargo annually. In Finland, this includes Helsinki Airport and Rovaniemi Airport.
“We believe that rapid piloting and validation is the right approach when the goal is to establish an entirely new industry focused on synthetic fuels.”
Pasi Keinänen
Liquid Sun CEO
Climate
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Rapid loss of Antarctic ice may be a climate tipping point, with rapid change underway, according to a study published in Nature. “This is set to worsen with every fraction of a degree of global warming,” lead author Nerilie Abram said. The fresh warnings on climate consequences come with Australia facing a deadline on declaring a 2035 emissions reduction target. (AAP) (Reuters) (ABC)
People
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Whitehaven Coal appointed ex-CEO of the Minerals Council, political adviser to then prime minister Scott Morrison and former diplomat Brendan Pearson as a director.
Climate Change Authority Chair Matt Kean joined the Board of Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC).
Former Queensland deputy premier and treasurer Jackie Trad joined the Clean Energy Council as CEO, replacing industry stalwart Kane Thornton.
Research
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China’s cumulative installed capacity of new energy storage surpassed 100 GW for the first time, with a year-on-year increase of 110%. The China New Energy Storage Alliance report also showed batteries dominating, with pumped hydro dropping below 40%. The alliance said newly commissioned new energy storage projects reached 23.03GW in the first half of 2025, and policy adjustments saw project grid-connection timelines sped up.
Random
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Union boss Sally McManus has been feeling a little lonely around the economic roundtable this week. (ABC)
