As the Melbourne Age reported over the weekend, household battery installations are surging, with uptake in South Australia alone already 5.7 times higher than last year.

So how did we get here? A few theories:

As advocates for sustainable energy solutions, the Australian Renewables Academy is thrilled to spotlight the Barwon South West Renewable Hydrogen Prospectus—a bold, region-led blueprint that charts the future of #renewable #hydrogen in #Geelong and beyond.

Timber Done Right: Cutting Carbon, Building Regional Futures

I still remember having arguments with mates working for the CFMEU (Forestry Division) in the 2000s about how logging was good for the climate! I was pretty cynical, but now I know things differently. Today's National Forestry Day puts a spotlight on something we don’t talk about enough: the role of forestry in reducing Australia’s carbon emissions and supporting regional communities.

In the national conversation about renewable energy and land use, there’s a recurring and misleading narrative: that solar development and agriculture are in opposition. That clean energy growth means sacrificing farming land, or vice versa. But this binary thinking overlooks an exciting, practical solution already gaining traction around the world—and here in Australia—that can unlock multiple benefits simultaneously: agrivoltaics.

By David Moody, Head of Strategic Relationships, MGA Group (Australian Renewables Academy)

Construction is underway on the 30-turbine expansion of the Warradarge Wind Farm — a move that will see the Western Australian project become the state’s largest wind farm by capacity. It’s a decisive moment for the sector, but more importantly, it’s a clear demonstration of what well-planned, community-anchored clean energy infrastructure can deliver: local jobs, long-term regional economic benefit, and capability growth across the supply chain.

OpenAI's Sam Altman recently said, “We’re going to need to build more compute.”

More compute → more data centres → more energy. And in 2025, that means more clean energy.

In July 2025, I had the privilege of visiting the Siemens–Swinburne Energy Transition Hub at Swinburne University's Hawthorn campus, and what I experienced left me optimistic, challenged, and energised about the scale of the opportunity and responsibility we now carry in transitioning Australia’s workforce to a clean energy future.

Led by Professor Mehdi Seyedmahmoudian, the Hub is more than just a research facility — it’s a working example of how industry, academia, and peak bodies can come together with purpose and urgency. The Hub’s work spans smart grids, vehicle-to-grid systems, renewable integration, and hydrogen – but critically, it’s also becoming a living laboratory for workforce development.

Australian Renewables Academy was delighted to be on the ground this week in Port Augusta at the 2025 TACTIC Conference. It was a privilege to be alongside passionate community leaders, employers, government partners and industry.

Thank you to everyone who joined David Moody and Mandy Masters in conversations around hashtag#workforce and hashtag#community-led solutions in the Upper Spencer Gulf and South Australia, focused on making the clean energy transition work for regional South Australia.

The clean energy transition in Australia isn’t just a question of infrastructure—it’s about people. This was made abundantly clear at last week’s ARA-hosted breakfast workshop in Port Augusta, where leaders from across government, education, industry, and community came together to confront the reality: we can’t reach net zero unless we bring regional communities with us.

In the Upper Spencer Gulf and Eyre Peninsula, we have all the ingredients: sun, wind, land, infrastructure and now, a surge in investment. However, we lack a coordinated, strategic approach to workforce development that ensures these benefits flow to locals.

It’s time to get serious about a clean energy workforce strategy that is regionally led, community-grounded, and backed by government policy that goes beyond headlines.

The Federal Government’s $70 million commitment to First Nations clean energy projects.

On a cold winter's night earlier this week in Geelong, Victoria, something important happened—not in a boardroom or a conference hall, but around dinner tables.

A cross-section of clean energy thinkers and doers were brought together by the Australian Renewables Academy for a candid, action-focused conversation about Geelong's role in Australia's new energy transition. It was a night of shared insights, challenging questions, and, most importantly, a common purpose in Victoria's largest regional centre and second-largest city.

Collaboration was the word of the night, but not just as a buzzword. In the conversation facilitated by ARA President, Bernadette O'Connor, we spoke about what it actually takes to collaborate when so much of our current system, especially around procurement and tendering, rewards competition over cooperation.

Victoria is fast-tracking approval for a massive new battery project, strategically located next to two new wind farms — a decisive step forward in building a resilient, renewable-powered grid.

At the Australian Renewables Academy, we see this as more than just infrastructure — it’s a signal of growing demand for skilled workers across the clean energy supply chain. From battery technicians and wind turbine specialists to project managers and grid integration experts, the clean energy transition is creating real, long-term career opportunities.

Australia stands at a pivotal point in its history. With the Future Made in Australia (FMIA) legislation now taking shape, we’re seeing the Federal Government making some bold bets on our ability to lead in clean energy, value-added manufacturing, and sovereign capability.

At the Australian Renewables Academy we welcome this shift. It sends a powerful signal that the clean energy transition is not just an environmental imperative — it’s an economic opportunity.

But opportunity alone won’t guarantee outcomes. The success of this agenda will depend on how deeply, practically and inclusively it is implemented, particularly in the regions where the clean energy transformation is already underway.

As Australia's clean energy transformation accelerates, the intersection between digital infrastructure and energy systems is becoming a national security priority. On 16 July, the Australian Renewables Academy joined a focused group of sector leaders for the @Cyber Energia Dinner and Presentation, a thought-provoking event that explored how we can secure the future of renewable energy.

China Breaks the Solar Barrier — And What It Means for Australia’s Workforce

We’re excited to share that we’ve delivered another Landholder Liaison Officer Services course in Melbourne — and for the very first time, in Brisbane!

A highlight of the Brisbane class was welcoming Krystal Baker as a guest speaker from the Office of the Coordinator-General, who provided a valuable and very relevant overview of their role in Queensland’s infrastructure space.

Earlier this week, the Australian Renewables Academy was pleased to host a breakfast workshop in Port Augusta, bringing together leaders from government, education, industry and community across the Upper Spencer Gulf and Eyre Peninsula.

The focus: workforce development that puts regional people first.
As investment in clean energy accelerates across South Australia, we must ensure that regional communities are not just consulted but are actively leading the transition.

Australia is sprinting toward a clean energy future—but stuck wearing shoes built for a different race. The frameworks we’ve relied on to protect our environment are now some of the biggest barriers to decarbonising it.

At the Australian Renewables Academy (ARA), part of the Management Governance Australia Group, we work with people building the future—developers, Traditional Owners, policy thinkers, engineers, investors and decision-makers. And they’re all hitting the same wall: outdated environmental approval processes that are not fit for purpose.

On a cold winter's night earlier this week in Geelong, Victoria, something important happened—not in a boardroom or a conference hall, but around dinner tables.

A cross-section of clean energy thinkers and doers were brought together by the Australian Renewables Academy for a candid, action-focused conversation about Geelong's role in Australia's new energy transition. It was a night of shared insights, challenging questions, and, most importantly, a common purpose in Victoria's largest regional centre and second-largest city.

Collaboration was the word of the night, but not just as a buzzword. In the conversation facilitated by ARA President, Bernadette O'Connor , we spoke about what it actually takes to collaborate when so much of our current system, especially around procurement and tendering, rewards competition over cooperation.

The Australian Renewables Academy (ARA) has successfully convened 'Dinner & Dialogue' events across the Renewable Energy Zones in Gippsland, Warrnambool, Whyalla, Darwin, Mount Gambier, Townsville, Geelong, and most recently, Newcastle. These forums have brought together key stakeholders from the clean energy sector, supply chains, education and training, government, and local communities.