2023

Queensland state-owned CleanCo has opened an expression of interest process to add 3 GW of wind and solar generation to its portfolio “to support our customers to achieve their sustainability goals, and to advance Queensland’s energy transformation”.

A green hydrogen collective that includes Australia’s Fortescue is set to share in more than $11 billion (USD 7 billion) of United States government funding as the Biden administration seeks to accelerate the commercial-scale production and deployment of low-cost, renewable hydrogen.

Solar panel producer Maxeon Solar Technologies will lay off 750 employees by the end of the year as the company reels from reduced shipments from its largest distributed generation (DG) customer in North America and an ‘industry-wide demand slowdown’ in global DG markets.

Scientists in Spain tested PV modules under partial shading conditions, aiming to better understand the formation of performance-damaging hotspots. The study reveals a potential issue particularly affecting half-cell and bifacial modules, which may cause accelerated performance loss and is not covered by current testing/certification standards.

Australia’s vast distances make the supply of electricity via traditional grids expensive and even dangerous. With demand growing for agricultural goods produced with low-carbon emissions, solar and energy storage is being embraced even by skeptical farmers.

Energy security concerns are mounting as renewable projects and transmission lines are delayed. In New South Wales, for instance, the government has flagged it may defer the closure of Eraring coal power station beyond 2025.

South Korean steelmaker Posco and French renewables giant Engie are investigating the feasibility of establishing a large-scale renewable hydrogen project in Western Australia that would provide fuel for a green iron venture planned for the state’s Pilbara region.

The company supplying the technology for what has been branded Australia’s “biggest battery” has cautioned that manufacturers must ramp up their focus on hardware, increase investment in advanced software and improve testing practices to minimise the risk of lithium-ion batteries catching fire.

Four solar pioneers, including the Australian scientists Martin Green and Andrew Blakers, have been awarded the world’s most prestigious engineering prize for their groundbreaking research into solar cell technology.

One of Queensland’s largest clean energy projects has reached a new milestone with exploratory works and detailed site investigations commencing for the proposed 2 GW Borumba Dam pumped hydro project being developed near Gympie in the state’s southeast.