The former head of Australia’s most notorious brown coal generator – the soon-to-be-retired Hazelwood plant – says solar PV and battery storage already represent a cheaper alternative to gas-fired generation.

A trial that could see the shuttle service between Adelaide Airport’s terminal and long-term carpark go completely driverless has been announced as one of seven projects to share in the SA government’s $10 million Future Mobility Lab Fund to drive local development of autonomous vehicle technology.

Google announced Tuesday that its online PV appraisal service, Project Sunroof, has now expanded to all 50 US states, with a total of approximately 60 million buildings now analyzed by the program.

Prime minister Malcolm Turnbull has announced his desire to spend $2 billion on a 2GW pumped hydro scheme in the Snowy Mountains, in a move that will potentially drive a stake through the heart of the fossil fuel generation industry in Australia.