At the World Economic Forum in Davos in January, cyber threats to critical infrastructure were listed as a top ten global threat and many experts believe that an attack on Australian energy infrastructure is a case of ‘when’ not ‘if’. Here are my thoughts on how to get ahead of this challenge as the growth in distributed rooftop solar PV systems also expands the ‘surface area’ vulnerable to attack.

Resilience is measured by the ability to adapt to a changing environment. This includes the capacity to prepare for and reduce the impact caused by disruptive events and the ability to recover rapidly. How can we better plan to maintain continuous supply of energy during and after an incident?

Global demand for replacement inverters will likely grow by almost 40% to reach 8.7 GW in 2020, as a large and expanding installed base of aging solar PV installations drives deployment, writes Miguel De Jesus of IHS Markit.

Even a casual observer of the political debate over climate change in Australia would almost have whiplash from the abrupt turn from low-key climate denialism to focus on resilience and adaptation in the face of climate catastrophes.

The breadth and depth of detail in the GSD2019 (to be released today) reveals any number of important insights into the supply side of the NEM. One theme that stood out for me as I reviewed the data was the set of challenges facing the NEM’s most recent crop of new entrant generators – utility-scale solar farms – as they come to grips with the messy reality of the electricity market.

The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) has published its first knowledge sharing report under its landmark virtual power plant (VPP) demonstrations program, which is intended to provide insights into the scalability and network services potential of VPPs. The report details how the South Australia-based Tesla-Energy Locals VPP responded to price signals and frequency level and helps further understand the benefits consumers can have from participating in VPPs.

Researchers in Brazil have suggested using solar radiation databases and simulator software to scale PV-diesel mini-grid generators. The profiles of PV generation and mini-grid load demand are critical to finding the right balance, according to the academics.

Monash University-led researchers have made a discovery that will dramatically reduce lithium-from-brine extraction times and accelerate our energy future. The breakthrough, innovative and ingenious, is as simple and as complex as a sieve.

The British university will use Redflow zinc-bromine flow batteries at its Active Building demonstrator – an award-winning classroom that generates, stores and releases solar energy at the point of use.

The California-based energy technology company has expanded its partnership with Rexel Group to include Australia-wide distribution.

With ARENA’s funding set to dry up in mid-2020, many around Australia are concerned the Government is preparing to toss the golden goose. Clean Energy Council head Kane Thornton is here to make sure that doesn’t happen.

The prime ministers of Australia and Singapore have agreed to work together on practical projects and initiatives in developing hydrogen markets and renewable electricity trade.

The REC Group’s novel Alpha 72 module has tested through the roof and is looking to come in on the roof of the market, literally. pv magazine Australia sat down with REC’s Paul Scerri to lay the module out.

A legend of rock music and persistence, Brigalow Solar Farm has begun exporting energy to the grid in Queensland’s Darling Downs.

The impact of COVID-19 will leave its mark on our society and economy while a sliding Australian dollar is likely to make imported goods more expensive. In its webinar held on Thursday, the Smart Energy Council is discussing business tips on how to weather the storm over the next six months. And a question arises: Can residential and commercial solar and storage buck the trend against the economic recession which is on the way?

The CSIRO recently told its Energy Business Unit that shortfalls would see approximately 20% of jobs cut despite the Government’s much-awaited Carbon Reduction Roadmap pinning our hopes on technological innovation.

The Australian Government and the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) are set to fund RayGen Resources Pty Ltd (RayGen) to the tune of $3 million toward a feasibility study for a 4 MW “solar hydro” power plant in north-western Victoria.

Three renewable energy generators in northern Queensland are facing major constraints due to system strength issues.

Chinese-Canadian PV heavyweight, Canadian Solar, is looking to harness the power of poetry with the release of its HiKu Mono in Australia. The innovative monocrystalline module enters the market near the top of the range.

In welcome news for solar and wind developers in Australia, the network rule maker has decided to not to rush through changes to transmission access rules under the much-criticized Coordination of Generation and Transmission Investment (CoGATI) plan.

Tesla’s Nevada operation is still open for business, though. The EV and battery maker has assured the market its cash position is strong enough to weather an “extended period of uncertainty”.

Chinese manufacturer Risen Energy will supply Malaysia’s Tokai Engineering with 20 MW of its new panels, unveiled in December. Risen claims its products can help reduce balance-of-system project costs by 9.6% and the levelized cost of energy by 6%.

The Canadian battery manufacturer has announced an investment from Japanese Itochu Corporation and got closer to integrating Moixa GridShare AI with its Evolve batteries.

U.S.-owned analyst Wood Mackenzie expects solar demand to decline but predicts the market will recover, with the prospects for the energy transition remaining intact.

The Australian Government’s “Economic Response to the Coronavirus” incentivises commercial and industrial solar PV uptake.

As Australian governments ready and implement economic stimulus and recovery packages in the face of the Coronavirus outbreak, the Clean Energy Council is calling on them to back renewable energies. Clean energy can stave off economic impacts and pave the road to recovery.

Byron Bay’s Smart Energy is seeing an unprecedented surge in sales and enquiries of solar and home storage as consumers look to shore themselves up in uncertain times.

Australian miner Element 25 has secured $2 million in capital to further advance its plans to mine manganese in the Pilbara for export. The key to the project is the utilisation of renewable energies to bring down the price and compete with Chinese suppliers.

An ARENA-backed trial run by ACT network operator Evoenergy in partnership with French power electronics specialist Schneider Electric and Melbourne-based energy tech company GreenSync will research and test the effect that the integration of distributed energy resources is having on Canberra’s increasingly decentralized energy grid.

A report by Norwegian energy consultant DNV GL has considered the opportunity for long-term energy storage to play a role in balancing annual supply and demand fluctuations in a renewables-led grid. Using 58 years of Dutch weather and energy consumption data, the study found long-term solutions such as green hydrogen could make a valuable contribution – but perhaps not as much as some analysts believe.