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Weekend read: the fruitful search for other thin films

First Solar and its cadmium telluride (CdTe) technology dominate thin-film solar in the mainstream market. Valerie Thompson looks at the US-based business and the future of thin-film PV technology.
Markets & Policy

Australia’s biggest battery project changes shape as Equis reaches FID, begins construction

Through a co-funding deal with Victoria’s newly revived SEC, Equis Development has reached financial close and begun construction on phase 1 of its giant 1.2 GW Melbourne Renewable Energy Hub. Plans for the hub, which includes gigawatt hours of storage...
EV

Tritium scrabbles for finance, courts investors and bans media from AGM

Brisbane-based electric vehicle charging company Tritium has been involved in a whirlwind of activity this week as it fends off being thrown off Nasdaq, sets about closing its manufacturing in Brisbane and courts new investors. Tritium has pioneered stan...
Announcements

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Installations

Solar productivity negatively impacted by emissions and aerosols, study finds

A study by engineers at UNSW, published in the Renewable Energy journal, shows that aerosols and greenhouse gas emissions reduce the productivity of photovoltaic installations and that this differs according to the global region.  
Markets & Policy

New Zealand’s largest utility-scale solar project starts generating power

Lodestone Energy has started generating electricity at its solar farm in Kaitaia, New Zealand’s largest solar farm and first utility scale solar installation to date.
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Markets & Policy

More battery projects approved in Victoria

Planning permits have been granted to two large battery projects by Victoria’s planning department: the existing Elaine Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) by Akaysha Energy has been approved for expansion at its four-hour energy battery, and Flow Ene...
Markets & Policy

New solar installations to hit 413 GW this year, says BloombergNEF

BloombergNEF says historically low module prices will drive the global solar industry to record installations in 2023.
Installations

Maharlika Consortium wins Philippines microgrid tender

The Philippines Department of Energy says the Maharlika Consortium – representing three companies – will develop two microgrid hybrid solar and diesel generator power plants for “underserved” communities located on Panlaitan island and the island...

Press Releases

Indonesia and Australia cooperation on electric vehicles

Australia and Indonesia have agreed to advance mutually beneficial cooperation on battery manufacturing, critical minerals processing and other aspects of the electric vehicle ecosystem.

First Nations Greentime Energy Group signs 20% share option for 600 MW pumped hydro project

Sunshine Hydro is excited to announce offering First Nations Greentime Energy Group (FNGEG) a 20% share option for Djandori Gung-i (Spirit in the Water) Superhybrid clean energy project at Miriam Vale in Queensland.

Trina Solar brings sunshine to Australian children with Vertex S+ modules

Trina Solar has supplied a children’s and community centre in Melbourne with its Vertex S+ modules, making yet another significant contribution to sustainable development with clean energy.

State-of-the-art renewable hydrogen refuelling station launched

Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, and Swinburne University of Technology’s Victorian Hydrogen Hub (VH2) have today launched a state-of-the-art clean hydrogen refuelling station, purpose-built for enabling hydrogen research.

Opinion & Analysis

Featured

The extraordinary story of rooftop solar in Australia’s National Electricity Market

The sun is shining, the weather is sweet. In this Opinion and Analysis piece, Lumi Adisa, Director of Energy Market Analytics at NEOM and ex-Investment Director of Energy Markets at Octopus Investments Australia, presents a deep dive into the unprecedented impact of rooftop solar in the NEM. As rooftop solar continues to drive changes in the intraday demand and price trends, it is evident that customers will remain a significant part of the energy transition for years to come.

Adaptation to climate change is a vital discussion we need to have

While mitigation remains the best strategy, Amy Steel argues it is now vital to start having frank discussions around climate adaption.

Future of long-term energy storage isn’t about lithium, it’s about battery supply chains

Dr. Thomas Nann examines the benefits and limitations of lithium-ion batteries, imploring Australia to embrace disruptive innovation, not incrementalism.

Future looks bright for CST power as decarbonisation focus shifts beyond 2030

A new report from the Australian Solar Thermal Research Institute shows that concentrating solar thermal power has a major role to play in cost-effectively decarbonising electricity, industry and fuels over the short- and long-term.

The case for ultra-deep e-methanol storage

A key success factor in managing energy crises in a decarbonised grid is seasonal energy storage or ultra-deep storage, as we like to call it. The discussion has traditionally circled around the pros and cons of different energy storage technologies like pumped hydro and flow batteries, or the feasibility of using hydrogen as a storage medium. However, the most cost-efficient solutions may actually lie outside of the electricity sector.

Feasibility-first value selling – a turbocharger for commercial installer growth

A ‘Feasibility First Value Selling’ can transform solar sales processes, James Allston of Orkestra argues.

Markets & Policy

Featured

‘Worst’ year for investment in Australia’s large-scale segment, report finds

Investment in Australia’s renewable energy sector is more than 10 times lower than where it should be to reach 2030 targets, according to the Clean Energy Council calculations. Australia’s “sluggish” large-scale segment is the result of a confluence of issues, and illustrates the urgent need for the federal government’s newly supercharged Capacity Investment Scheme.

Victorian EV owners to receive road-user charge refunds, including interest

The Victorian government will repay, with interest, electric vehicle owners who paid a road-user charge later deemed unconstitutional by Victoria’s High Court.

Fire at WA lithium mine sees production suspended

A fire at one of Australia’s biggest lithium mines has left it unable to process ore for the past days. The fire at Mineral Resources’ Wodgina mine in Western Australia has since been brought under control and the company says shipping will not be impacted.

Renewables helping China to halve power prices compared to Australia, Europe

Wood Mackenzie says in a new report that China could install 230 GW of PV and wind capacity and export more than 200 GW of solar panels in 2023. Unlike Europe and United States, the country is avoiding the high curtailment of PV and wind.

Sparc selects Adelaide site to pilot photocatalytic hydrogen production following CSIRO demo

Having completed first prototype testing outside the lab for its green hydrogen photocatalytic water splitting technology, joint venture company Sparc Hydrogen has been working on its pilot plant study, selecting a site “proximal to Adelaide.”

Sunshine Hydro signs 20% First Nations equity deal on flagship Queensland project

Sunshine Hydro and project partner Energy Estate have signed an agreement to give First Nations stakeholders a 20% equity option in the companies’ Djandori Gung-i Superhybrid project at Miriam Vale, Queensland. The project proposes to deliver up to 600 MW of pumped hydro capacity and up to 300 MW of hydrogen electrolysers.

Installations

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Another WA town transitions to solar and batteries

Cue, a town in Western Australia’s midwest, has installed 259 kW of solar and a 336 kWh battery system to wean itself off diesel. The installation is part of Horizon Power’s Midwest Solar Program and belongs within a much larger state-wide transformation.

Thermal storage company breaks ground on its renewable agriculture facility in NSW

Australian thermal storage company, Graphite Energy, has broken ground on its Lake Cargelligo facility in New South Wales which aims to demonstrate how renewable energy and agriculture can coexist through agrivoltaic and green house systems.

Mytilineos secures PPA for 120 MW Queensland solar farm in development

Australia’s National Broadband Network (nbn) Corporation has signed an offtake deal with Greek developer Mytilineos to take 59 GWh per annum from its Munna Creek solar farm north of Brisbane, Queensland.

Northern Goldfields solar and battery system goes live

BHP has taken another step on the path towards a clean energy future with Canadian developer TransAlta Renewables switching on one of the world’s largest off-grid solar and battery energy storage systems that will help power the mining giant’s nickel operations in Western Australia.

AGL to trial forecasting tool to transform energy demands of C&I sites

Melbourne Airport is among the organisations taking part in a two-year trial intended to help commercial and industrial energy users shift their demand away from peak times, easing pressure on the grid and supporting the integration of more renewables.

Origin takeover vote postponed as suitors lob revised proposal

Origin Energy has delayed the vote on its almost $20 billion (USD 12.85 billion) takeover bid until next month after receiving a revised offer from the Brookfield-led consortium that is hoping to acquire the Australian energy generator and retailer.

Technology

Performance parameters for residential heat pumps linked to PV, storage

German researchers measured a PV-powered heat pump with battery storage in a single-family home in Freiburg, Germany, for a period of a year. It features smart grid-ready tech that adjusts operations based on the grid.

New research claims PV outperforms afforestation in combating climate change

Scientists from Israel have calculated how long it would take for PV plants and afforestation projects to offset their warming impacts caused by the darkening of land. The results showed that in drylands, PV fields could be over 50 times more efficient than afforestation.

Weekend read: Connecting HJT

The application of busbarless cell interconnection approaches could unlock the potential of heterojunction (HJT) technology, primarily by reducing the historically high silver usage of negatively-doped, “n-type” cell technology. As HJT production increases, a wave of applications may very well be on the horizon.

New solution to suppress battery storage fire, thermal runaway unveiled by Fike

Fike Corp., a US industrial-hazard protection specialist, has launched Fike Blue, a tested, patented solution that suppresses battery fires and stops cascading thermal runaway.

PERC inventor from UNSW discusses the future of the technology

University of New South Wales academic Aihua Wang is the first female recipient of the United Kingdom’s Queen Elizabeth Prize (QEPrize) for Engineering, after sharing the 2023 award with Andrew Blakers, Martin Green, and her husband Jianhua Zhao for their work developing the passivated emitter rear contact (PERC) solar cell. pv magazine caught up with her to ask about the achievement.

Northvolt unveils 160 Wh/kg sodium-ion battery

Swedish battery maker Northvolt has developed its first sodium-ion battery. The cell has been validated for an energy density of more than 160 Wh/kg and is designed for energy storage applications.

Manufacturing

Featured

With China PV modules reaching record low prices, is there a chance for local PV manufacturing elsewhere?

From the International Solar Energy Society’s perspective, and the vision of a world with 100% renewable energy for everyone used wisely and efficiently, PV module production should not become an oligopoly and should not be concentrated in one corner of the world.

Solar module prices may reach USD 0.10/W by end 2024

Tim Buckley, director of Climate Energy Finance, speaks to pv magazine about the current steep trajectory of solar module prices. He estimates that PV panels prices will end up dropping by 40% this year and predicts the closure of old technology and sub-scale solar manufacturing facilities, both in China and globally.

Enphase introduces commercial-scale microinverter

Enphase’s new IQ8-3P solar microinverter offers peak power output of up to 480 W.

China module prices hit new record lows, operating rates estimated around 60%

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, OPIS, a Dow Jones company, provides a quick look at the main price trends in the global PV industry.

Fortescue continues US expansion with new clean energy manufacturing plant

Australian mining and green energy major Fortescue has revealed plans to establish a new clean energy technology manufacturing plant in the United States as it looks to take advantage of America’s $565 billion (USD 369 billion) Inflation Reduction Act.

Weekend read: the overproduction conundrum

Manufacturing capacity has been ramping up so quickly that even impressive installation growth cannot keep pace. Molly Morgan, senior research analyst at UK-based research firm Exawatt, explores the relationship between PV supply and demand and assesses the likelihood of overproduction.

Energy Storage

Featured

Pacific Green unveils 1.5 GWh big battery plans for South Oz

British renewables developer Pacific Green Technologies has joined the growing number of foreign companies looking to capitalise on Australia’s energy transition, announcing plans to build a 500 MW/1,500 MWh battery energy storage system in South Australia.

Bowen targets 32 GW of renewables with ‘super charged’ investment scheme

Australian Energy Minister Chris Bowen has announced a major expansion of the Commonwealth-funded Capacity Investment Scheme that will now target 32 GW of renewable generation and storage capacity to support the nation’s clean energy transition.

CIP pushes ahead with 480 MWh battery project in South Australia

Danish investment group Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners has tapped Canadian PV and battery manufacturing heavyweight Canadian Solar to provide the energy storage solution for the first of the multiple large-scale battery projects it has planned for Australia.

Winners of nation’s largest storage tender include two ex-coal plant big batteries, VPP series

More than 1 GW of firmed storage capacity is set to be delivered by the six winning projects from the New South Wales (NSW) tender combining state and federal schemes. Akaysha Energy’s 415 MW / 1660 MWh battery in Wellington and AGL’s 500 MW / 1000 MWh Liddell battery are the round’s two biggest projects.

Akaysha quietly expands Victorian big battery proposal by 55%

Akaysha Energy has expanded the scope of its Victorian Elaine battery from 800 MWh to 1244 MWh, growing the project’s capacity more than 50% due to its long duration capability of four hours, pv magazine Australia has been told.

Fortescue brings three projects to FID committing $1.1 billion

Fortescue has announced three projects – two in Australia and the other in the US – have reached final investment decision (FID). The company held its annual general meeting today, where members voted down its contentious executive pay policy.

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