2024

Portable solar generators are making their way from the fringes of solar and energy storage to become a mainstream consumer item. The rise has been charged by a range of factors that have created massive brands. Where did the sector emerge from, who was buying before, who is buying now, and what’s next? Tristan Rayner reports.

As Victorian homeowners call for better grid infrastructure after outages left thousands without power this week, new data from research company Rystad Energy suggests the whole world’s transmission network may be a stumbling block to energy transition.

The Dutch government has submitted a public proposal to support the production of heterojunction and perovskite-silicon tandem modules, as well as building- and vehicle-integrated PV panels, with a maximum allocation of €70 million (USD75.1 million) per solar manufacturing project.

Korean solar module maker Qcells informed its local team this week that its Australian subsidiary will be closed. The decision reflects on the highly competitive Australian solar marketplace and the company’s strategic decision to focus on the United States, Europe, and its home market of Korea.

The Philippines Board of Investments (BOI) has granted a green lane certificate to a 65 MW ground-mount solar power plant, set to become operational in September 2026.

Ireland-headquartered Elgin Energy Australia have announced approval from the Victorian government to develop the 60 MW Shady Creek Solar Farm and 60 MW / 120 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS), located on Bayleys Road, Yarragon, Victoria.

Half a million homes and businesses in Victoria were left without power late on Tuesday following a major power outage. While investigations are underway as to what worked well and what fell short of expectations, Roger Dargaville, the
director of the Monash Energy Institute at Monash University, says that the event demonstrated system strength.

A secluded island residence off-grid system receives new tech upgrade. The additional power and bang-for-buck demonstrates the new era of offgrid living available to Australian remote households.

BloombergNEF says in a new report that corporations publicly announced 46 GW of solar and wind power purchase agreements (PPAs) in 2023, up 12% year on year. It says the increase was driven by a surge of activity in Europe.

The Miles government in Queensland introduced legislation to state parliament today to formalize its emissions reduction target. The move takes the form of the Clean Economy Jobs Bill, which the state’s energy minister says will help create 100,000 new jobs.