Australia's renewable energy leaders address the 'orange elephant in the room'
Trump’s return to the White House is shaking renewables, but Australia’s climate tech leaders remain optimistic as they look to stronger partnerships with China.
Every conversation about renewable energy in Australia now turns to what Virescent founding partner Kristin Vaughan calls “the orange elephant in the room”. It's no secret that Donald Trump's return to the White House has sent ripples through the global climate tech sector.
"Over the last couple of weeks, this has been the first question on everyone's mind," Vaughan said at a Climate Salad investor and founder event last Wednesday. Yet, after acknowledging initial concerns, she and other leaders emphasised Australia’s unique position to capitalise on emerging partnerships in the Asia-Pacific region.
At the same event, Climate Energy Finance director Tim Buckley framed China’s dominance in clean technology manufacturing as an opportunity rather than a threat. “China wants to partner with us,” Buckley said, noting that Australia’s status as China’s leading trading partner provides a strong foundation for technology transfer and manufacturing collaboration.
The scale of opportunity is stark when comparing deployment rates. Australia installs around three gigawatts of rooftop solar annually, while China achieves the same volume weekly — 50 times faster. Chinese renewable energy capacity grew by 22% year-on-year, following a remarkable 100% surge the year prior.
