In 2019, a new venture in the Australian outback looked set to export our solar power to the world – upending our neighbours’ reliance on fossil fuels.

Backed by the billionaires Mike Cannon-Brookes and Andrew Forrest – Sun Cable was supposed to be Australia’s largest ever renewable energy project, transporting electricity to Singapore via 4,300 kilometres of sea cable.

It was meant to show what a different future could look like – one where Australia could export massive amounts of renewable power. But now, that future is being overtaken by something else entirely.

As big tech converges on Australia to build data centres for AI, there’s a fight over how to use our renewable energy – and big tech is winning.

Today, writer and senior research associate with the Australia Institute, Ketan Joshi, on how Australia’s AI push is colliding with the energy transition — and what it means for our emissions, our power grid, and the dream of becoming a clean energy exporter.

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Guest: Senior Research Associate with the Australia Institute, Ketan Joshi

Photo: AAP Image/Lukas Coch

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