Around the world, more and more electric vehicles are hitting the road. Last year, more than 17 million battery-electric and hybrid vehicles were sold. Early forecasts suggest this year’s figure might reach 20 million. Nearly 20% of all cars sold today are electric.

A re-elected Albanese government will take the unprecedented step of buying or obtaining options over key critical minerals to protect Australia’s national interest and boost its economic resilience.

When it comes to module durability, we need to think differently, according to research from Austria’s Polymer Competence Center Leoben. Researcher Chiara Barretta reveals study results that saw modules in a tropical environment suffer significant degradation. Even stabiliser materials in the encapsulants had a limited effect.

New data shows Sweden, Australia, Netherlands, Germany and Denmark are the leading countries for per capita solar and wind generation capacity. Furthermore, it reveals global solar capacity has been doubling every three years, and wind every six years, whereas fossil and nuclear capacity and generation have been almost static in recent years.

The global energy transition began at different times for different nation states. Iceland and Costa Rica had natural advantages but Germany took the lead in establishing the formula for every country to embark on an energy transition. What began a quarter of a century ago is now entering the next phase: a select group of nations undergoing an energy transformation.

Victorian distribution network service provider Jemena has flicked the switch on the first two community batteries to be installed within its electricity network as it prepares for rooftop solar capacity to more than double in the next decade.

Renewables developer Acen, a key player in the Australian energy transition, is returning to the capital market with plans to raise almost $835 million to fuel its expansion and investment in the clean energy sector as it seeks to almost triple its renewable energy capacity to 20 GW by 2030.

Victorian-headquartered battery storage innovator Relectrify, has introduced its novel, inverter-less battery energy storage solution to the Taiwan market.

Siemens Energy Australia’s Samuel Morillon says the country’s energy transition is progressing very well, but believes in realistic solutions to ensure reliability in the grid, and that future energy sources like renewable hydrogen will take time to mature.

A global business executive poll has found 77% of Australian business leaders want a renewables-based electricity system within the decade and for the federal government to priortise reskilling of high-carbon sector workers to help fill clean energy jobs.

Swiss startup Sun-Ways says it has activated what it calls the world’s first removable solar plant on active rail tracks, with passenger trains set to operate over the 18 kW installation from today.

Spanish manufacturer Ingeteam has been tapped by Denmark-headquartered developer European Energy to supply its power conversion and control technology to two grid-scale solar farms being built in Australia.

The Portuguese company said its new anti-soiling solution lasts for at least a year. It can be applied during routine cleaning operations by mixing it directly in the cleaning water.

GoodWe BIPV has identified new applications for its Vela residential solar carport with the modular unit gaining traction in rural and small commercial settings as an alternative to ground-mounted and rooftop PV systems.

Scientists have tested the performance of floating PV panels at a height of 800 mm and 250 mm above their floating structures. Their thermal and electrical performance was compared to that of a reference land-based system and the highest panel was found to show the greatest cooling effect.

New research has shown how improving top-cell transparency and performance remains key to the commercialization of tandem perovskite-silicon solar cells, as well as for all other types of tandem devices. The analysis demonstrated, in particular, that the top cell must achieve higher single-cell efficiency to compensate for reduced transparency.

The third and final transformer has arrived for installation at the Melbourne Renewable Energy Hub in Victoria with the 600 MW / 1,600 MWh first stage of the battery energy storage system (BESS) on track to come online later this year.

Researchers at two Sydney universities have developed 24 new ways of evaluating the circular economy of PV modules to identify the merits of various strategies based on current and future energy, materials and silver use.

In the shadow of the aging Collie coal-fired power plant scheduled to close by 2027, the installation of 640 containerised batteries at Collie, Western Australia is now complete and the facility will start serving the grid later in 2025.

The competition in the development of large-capacity cells is heating up, with the industry’s top player stepping up to shape the new standard in the battery energy storage space.

The Indian manufacturer said its new TOPCon solar panel is based on rectangular bifacial solar cells and is certified by the Bureau of Indian Standards.

The result was confirmed by the United States Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

The Austrian manufacturer said its new hybrid inverters can increase the usable output of the PV system to up to 150%. They are available in six version with rated AC power ranging from 15 kW to 33.3 kW.

The Chinese manufacturer said its new product uses inverter units with an output of 800 kW, of which 12 can be connected in parallel. It can work in weather of up to 52 C.

Chinese manufacturer Thornova says that its new composite frames offers advantages in terms of stability, corrosion, and chemical resistance. Installation is also easier because no grounding is required.

An 800 MW solar farm and 300 MW battery storage system are included in one of four renewable energy projects totalling 3.65 GW of generation capacity granted the right to connect to new transmission lines in the South West Renewable Energy Zone of New South Wales.

The design of a grid-scale solar farm and battery energy storage project planned for the New England region of New South Wales has undergone “considerable amendments” – including reducing the number of solar panels to be installed by more than 75,000 – as the developers seek to address community concerns.

A group of Tasmanian landowners is seeking Australian government approval to develop a 250 MW solar farm and 144 MW / 576 MWh battery energy storage system in the state’s Central Highlands region.

Canberra-based renewable energy company EPC Solar has made its first foray overseas, launching into Fiji where it says it has a pipeline of more than 40 potential solar and energy storage projects.

Researchers at two South Korean universities have collaborated to achieve a breakthrough in lithium-ion battery technology by developing a novel hybrid anode material.