The Victorian Labor Government announced in August last year a $1.3 billion “Solar Homes” package to assist homeowners in installing solar PV systems. The scheme will be offered to 770,000 Victorian households for the next 10 years and is in addition to the Federal STC ‘rebate’.

Vietnam had already successfully commissioned 1.5 GW of utility-scale PV at the end of May this year, and there is no sign of this slowing down, with another 2 GW teed up for June 2019. The breakneck speed in development is making Vietnam a powerhouse in the region in installed capacity, even nipping at the heels of Australia. Rystad Energy’s Minh Koi Le looks at the state of play in the Vietnamese solar market.

Evaluating and reporting Scope 1-3 emissions is a landmark commitment, showing leadership towards the implementation of the Paris Agreement

The Solar Price Index for July 2019 as published monthly by Solar Choice noted a 13% rise in residential solar prices in Victoria following the re-opened rebate scheme being snapped up in the first 3 days.

In the last of a series of blogs, solar pioneer Philip Wolfe looks at areas where solar generating stations are clustered together, without the coordination afforded by organised solar parks.

The Northern Territory (NT) Labor Government has launched its draft Climate Change Response, a comprehensive and informed plan to reach net zero emissions by 2050. The NT is looking particularly to solar, as “Solar is the cheapest form of new electricity generation, and the NT has one of the best solar resources in the world.”

Electricity retailer Powershop is encouraging the uptake of Electric Vehicles (EVs) with the introduction of a “Super Off-Peak Tariff”, a way for EV owners with smart meters to charge their vehicles at a reduced rate.

Redflow has won a significant order of its ZBM2 zinc-bromine flow batteries for mobile phone tower sites across South Africa in a deal which should see the Australian energy storage company receive revenue this calendar year.

Aquarevo, VIC, Australia’s most water and energy efficient residential development, has seen its first instalment of sonnenBatteries at its showcase house, allowing residents to see the German designed, Aussie made energy storage technology in action.

Polysilicon manufacturer Daqo has announced the start of pilot production in Xinjiang and expects to ramp up to full output by the end of the year, doubling the company’s annual capacity to 70,000 MT. Some 90% of its poly will be mono by that stage and Daqo expects 40% to be suitable for n-type products next year.

The 106 MW Yatpool Solar Farm is nearing completion. The project is located in north-west Victoria notorious for grid limitations.

The Australian Capital Territory will soon become the first state or territory in Australia to achieve a transition to 100% renewable electricity and join a handful of major jurisdictions across globe that have made the move.

French renewable developer Neoen’s proposed hybrid power plant in South Australia is a monster, but is it a monster we can believe in? Along with industry experts we investigate the feasibility of Neoen’s Goyder South project.

September’s second round offering was snapped up in under half an hour, signaling there is still a long way to go before supply catches up with demand.

New planning guidelines for large scale solar development in Victoria are now part of all state planning schemes. The Victorian government hopes to deliver consistent guidance in terms of choosing the right locations for solar development and encourage investment as it moves towards its 50% renewables goal by 2030.

Western Australia-based solar glass developer ClearVue has announced it is now able to produce larger floor-height sized power-generating insulated glass units and window panels. The company hopes this will open new sales opportunities.

A report by Germany’s Energy Watch Group thinktank has said we would be better off sticking to coal and oil than switching to gas because emissions of methane, the most potent greenhouse gas, caused by gas extraction render any related carbon savings irrelevant.

ITP Renewables has released Version 1 of open-CEM, an open-source modelling platform that allows users play out tailored made energy-transition scenarios on the National Electricity Market (NEM) for years simulated up to 2050. The platform is an extraordinary tool for investors, policy makers, project developers and the public.

In reaction to voltage fluctuations in the Victorian and NSW 220 kV network, AEMO on Friday constrained the output of a number of large-scale solar generators by 50%.

After celebrating Sunovate’s first demo project, pv magazine Australia sat down with Co-Founder and Managing Director Cesira Leigh to talk all things Sunovate, how the rising Aussie solar PV innovator came to be, and where it’s going.

The latest development on the module front sees manufacturers adopting larger wafer sizes in order to reach the industry’s raised expectations for power output. Older “M2” wafers have been the standard in recent years but now appear to be on the way out. Several theories about optimal size are gaining ground, but the future direction of the standard is still far from clear.

On the first day of this year’s EU PVSEC conference, Adelaide-based veteran solar researcher Pierre J Verlinden won the Becquerel Prize for Outstanding Merits in Photovoltaics. The award recognized more than 40 years as a leading PV researcher in academia and at leading companies including Sunpower and Trina Solar. Its recipient, now a board member of Australian solar technology provider BT Imaging, spoke to pv magazine about what is needed from solar to stave off catastrophic climate change.

The GCL System chief executive made comments that fly in the face of an expected solar gold rush in China that analysts predict will start this month. Though rising overseas demand will address overcapacity fears, according to Luo, the soundbite is sure to chill PV boardrooms across the world’s biggest solar market.

An Australian thermal energy storage company has reached in principle agreements to pilot thermal batteries in the telecommunication and eco-housing industries.

Plans to develop a 18 GWh lithium-ion battery factory in northern Queensland have received a major boost with the appointment of National Australia Bank as financial adviser. With the feasibility study nearing completion, project proponents expect the development application to be submitted to Townsville City Council over the coming months.

A state government-funded projects touted as Australia’s first industrial renewable energy microgrid is to be developed at a new 120-hectare industrial park in Nambeelup.

The Australian Capital Territory Government has announced it will contract for the construction of up to 250 MW of new renewable energy generation and 20MW/40MWh of battery storage as it seeks to pave the way for the electrification of buildings and transport.

Technical consultancy DNV GL has published its Energy Transition Outlook 2019. While the electric vehicle, storage and renewable energy industries are likely to see significant rises in demand, the sobering conclusion is the world will miss carbon reduction targets by a long shot.

French renewable developer giant Neoen has announced plans for a massive hybrid power plant in South Australia featuring 1200 MW of wind, 600 MW of solar and 900 MW of battery storage. The project will depend heavily on the SA-NSW interconnector.

A group of Australian investors led by venture capital fund Square Peg has backed the Melbourne-based start-up which aims to revolutionise the way Australian households buy electricity by passing through wholesale rates.