Home batteries boom: Australia’s rooftop solar + storage rollout is accelerating fast, with 180,878 solar installs and 276,011 battery installs in the six months to June—battery uptake now outpacing solar (about 153 battery installs per 100 solar systems), pushing batteries into roughly one in seven homes. Climate diplomacy pressure: Ahead of COP31, Australia’s climate credentials face fresh scrutiny at a pre-summit in Fiji, with Pacific leaders questioning Canberra’s fossil-fuel stance as a major coal mine expansion is considered. Fossil fuel politics at COP: Activists say the COP31 hosts (Turkey and Australia) are effectively in a coal supply chain while offering little action on a rapid exit from coal, gas and oil. Coal and power supply risks: A NSW regulator approved a coal mine expansion, adding to the debate over Australia’s transition credibility as households and markets weigh higher costs. Energy market context: Global markets remain driven by inflation worries, bond yields and geopolitics, with oil prices nudging higher amid Red Sea disruption risks and G7 moves to release diesel reserves. Household cost pressure: Treasurer Jim Chalmers signals a “tight ship” for the mid-year Budget update, with little expectation of new cost-of-living relief as fuel bills and debt interest bite. Grid + EV charging glitch: One Australian homeowner found an EV charger drawing from the grid despite solar/battery settings, with the fix reportedly involving rewiring to a different circuit—another reminder that real-world energy management can be messy.