2023

Chinese manufacturer Hoymiles has developed a new line of microinverters with up to 96.7% efficiency and outputs of up to 2,000 VA. It said they can be connected with up to four high-power solar modules.

French energy giant TotalEnergies studied the impact of solar panels on crops in order to develop a repository of agronomic benefits. The initial results show an increase in agricultural yields on field crops and a reduction in water stress.

A new report by the International Energy Agency’s Photovoltaic Power Systems Programme (IEA-PVPS) estimates that lost revenue from PV module soiling amounts to more than €3 billion ($4.6 billion) per year – an amount that is only set to increase as PV systems grow larger and more efficient.

Queensland-based ReNu Energy will acquire up to a 20% stake in fellow Brisbane company, startup Vaulta, which has developed battery casings designed for reuse and recycling. Vaulta will use the eventual $1 million (USD 700,000) investment from ReNu to scale its manufacturing capability and expand domestic and offshore sales.

“Gentailer” Origin Energy has granted the consortium behind its $18.4 billion (USD 12.8b) takeover bid, led by Brookfield Asset Management and US private equity firm EIG Partners, an extra week of exclusive due diligence. Neither reason nor timeline were offered by Origin’s brief ASX statement, fuelling concerns about the highly-priced deal.

Geelong is set to become home to a $300 million (USD 210 million) lithium-ion battery gigafactory. Recharge Industries, part of a portfolio from US fund Scale Facilitation, is aiming to start construction by the end of the year, targeting 2 GWh of production annually in 2024 and 6 GWh by 2026. The company is reportedly aiming to produce batteries without using Chinese materials, and appears to be part of a deepening supply chain play between Australia and the US.

The United Arab Emirates is treating Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, which includes the World Future Energy Summit, as a trial run before the nation hosts the COP28 climate talks in November.

India installed 13,956 MW of solar between January and December 2022. This included 11.3 GW of utility-scale PV, about 1.9 GW of rooftop solar, and nearly 700 MW of off-grid/distributed capacity.

The Australian government has unveiled a $70 million (USD 49 million) investment to aid the development of a green hydrogen hub in the north Queensland city of Townsville as it looks unlock the benefits of an industry which it says could inject an additional $50 billion (USD 35 billion) into the economy by 2050.

Sun Cable – considered to be the world’s biggest renewable energy export project – announced on Wednesday it had entered voluntary administration following “the absence of alignment” with shareholders.