After a week of energy policy talk dominated by the Turnbull government’s outspoken support for new coal power generation for Australia, the independent energy research firm Bloomberg New Energy Finance has joined the growing chorus of voices saying, “umm, I don’t think so.”

The threat of heatwave related blackouts in Australia is another reason households are contemplating increased energy independence through the installation of solar and battery systems.

Stanford University engineers have utilised urea, a compound that can be derived from animal urine, to produce a super-efficient solar battery that could provide a low-cost energy storage solution.

A Greens plan to support battery storage in Western Australia could benefit 120,000 WA households and thousands of businesses within five years.