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First came craft beer and distributed brewing. Consumers developed a taste for local niche brews, and the number of small breweries in Australia exploded, stealing market share from industry giants.

Now comes solar power and distributed energy, with craft brewers across Australia looking to source their own home-grown electricity in place of grid offerings.

The cost of rooftop solar installations has been steadily falling in recent years, as the technology matures and the production of panels, led by China, expands rapidly.

Globally, solar is now the largest source of newly installed power generation as of 2016. So, what does this mean for Australian manufacturing businesses?

Large-scale solar generation currently costs around $60-70/MWh to produce, with prices predicted to fall to around $50-$55/MWh in the next few years.

In comparison, retail electricity charges are around $200 – $300/MWh, with most contracts towards the higher end of this range.

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Packaging News

PKN's inaugural Women in Packaging Awards program, which aims to foster diversity, promote innovation, and inspire future leaders in the Australian packaging industry, is now open for entries.

Packaging and processing people from around the country, and the globe, celebrated innovation at the APPMA awards last night in an atmosphere of optimism as the industry looks to a bright future. The awards were held midway through the sector's biggest ever exhibition, APPEX, which along with a dazzling array of technology, has shown how purpose, focused minds, and collaboration, can enable packaging and processing to rise to the challenges it faces.

After serving 22 years on the APPMA Board, and 14 years as chairman, Mark Dingley told the 700-plus guests at the APPMA Gala Dinner last night that he will be stepping down from his position as chairman.