A maturing PV market does not automatically deliver certainty in terms of technology roadmaps and industry dynamics. Crystalizing trends and anticipating developments is the business of analysts, so pv magazine assembled four of solar’s best to talk about prices, technology and market-defining policy developments.

The Victorian Labor Government announced in August last year a $1.3 billion “Solar Homes” package to assist homeowners in installing solar PV systems. The scheme will be offered to 770,000 Victorian households for the next 10 years and is in addition to the Federal STC ‘rebate’.

Vietnam had already successfully commissioned 1.5 GW of utility-scale PV at the end of May this year, and there is no sign of this slowing down, with another 2 GW teed up for June 2019. The breakneck speed in development is making Vietnam a powerhouse in the region in installed capacity, even nipping at the heels of Australia. Rystad Energy’s Minh Koi Le looks at the state of play in the Vietnamese solar market.

Evaluating and reporting Scope 1-3 emissions is a landmark commitment, showing leadership towards the implementation of the Paris Agreement

The Solar Price Index for July 2019 as published monthly by Solar Choice noted a 13% rise in residential solar prices in Victoria following the re-opened rebate scheme being snapped up in the first 3 days.

Creditors of Brisbane-based solar and storage developer Lyon Group have announced that three of Lyon Solar’s companies are now in liquidation after their directors failed to meet a deadline. Deloitte is now looking for buyers for the Companies’ projects.

Researchers in Chicago have developed a world first fully rechargeable lithium-carbon dioxide battery, an achievement they claim could pave the way for the use of the greenhouse gas in advanced energy storage systems.

Although the International Energy Agency’s latest renewables report forecasts impressive solar growth there is still a nagging feeling it has produced conservative estimates and the emphasis on sharing costs with grid operators is predictable.

On the back of a landmark agreement with Alinta Energy, Fortescue Metals will use solar power for up to 100% of its daytime energy needs at the Chichester Hub iron ore operation in the Pilbara region.

The Chinese solar manufacturer today admitted it is in talks with its lenders and strategic investors about a break up of the company after its 2018 annual accounts revealed an apparently unserviceable debt pile. Any strategic investor is likely to constitute a Chinese state-backed bail-out.

Downer has been contracted by Alinta Energy to turn Fortescue Metals Group’s Chichester Hub iron ore operations in the Pilbara region into a solar-powered hub.

One of the world’s largest solar cell and PV module manufacturers, South Korea-headquartered Q Cells zealously guards its Tier 1 status, its reputation for quality, and its IP based on 20 years of research and development. Key Account Director Myungsin Shim muses on the future of PV in Australia, and a raft of new Hanwha offerings about to hit the market.

In a single month Banyule City Council in the north-eastern suburbs of Melbourne has rattled off a Climate Action Package for net-zero emissions by 2028, declared a climate emergency and joined other local governments in a Solar Savers program.

Pacific Hydro’s Haughton Solar Farm in Queensland has signed an innovative network support agreement with Stanwell Corporation (Stanwell), a QLD government-owned corporation and the largest electricity generator in the state.

Over the last decade, materials giant DuPont has surveyed more than 2 GW of PV installations and analyzed a range of failure types and their causes. Hong-Jie Hu, DuPont’s solar technical and development lead in China, says that the company is looking for Australian partners for its Global Field Survey program – with a particular interest in hot and humid and desert environments.

Technology Metals Australia has received a promising grant from the Australian Government for the development of its Gabanintha Vanadium Project. It is a small but sure sign of Vanadium’s strategic importance to the Australian economy when paired with renewable energy sources such as solar and wind.

After the leading car in the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge caught fire and was forced to withdraw from the race on the final stretch, Belgian team Agoria surged ahead to the front.

As the momentum is building behind hydrogen in Australia and abroad, the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) is leading the way in research and development with a range of initiatives on the ground.

Researchers from Deakin’s Institute for Frontier Materials claim to have solved the biggest problem that’s preventing photovoltaic cells from being recycled.

The Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) has released a discussion paper toward a blueprint for the coordination of generation and transmission investment. The draft proposal seeks to overhaul wholesale pricing and transmission access toward lowering electricity costs and the ever-increasing risks inherent in getting new renewable energy generation into the network.

Former Suntech President Shi Zhengrong says that China’s “solar cluster” has worked in an organized way to achieve both scale and product quality and performance. Known widely as Dr Shi, the true solar pioneer is attending next week’s All Energy Australia event, and will be speaking at pv magazine’s Quality Roundtable.

The Norwegian solar manufacturer is planning to debut its Alpha Series heterojunction (HJT) modules at next week’s All-Energy event in Melbourne. Touted as the world’s highest power 60-cell solar panels, the new series promises over 20% more energy production than other modules with the same footprint and added value for home owners.

South Korean solar module maker Hanwha Q Cells has launched Q.Home in Australia, its new integrated residential solar power system which has seen success in the European market.

An Italian research team has developed a device that it says can easily be integrated into a PV cell, and can boost its efficiency by converting more light particles into a high energy state before they are absorbed by the cell. The scientists claim that their innovation could offer a green‐to‐blue photon upconversion yield as high as 15%.

Inverter manufacturer SolarEdge has filed three additional patent infringement lawsuits against its competitor, Huawei, in China. This comes after three similar legal actions against Huawei that had been undertaken by SolarEdge in Germany last summer. While Huawei has decided not to comment on the matter, the Chinese manufacturer revealed that it had filed three patent litigation claims against SolarEdge at a Chinese court this May.

The first rows of solar panels have been laid on the roof of the Main Assembly Building at Tonsley Innovation District. The 2.34 MW solar array will ultimately work in conjunction with on-site battery storage and smart technologies as part of South Australia’s first district energy scheme.

Solar infrastructure developer Lyon Group has strengthened its ties in the Asian markets through a significant joint-venture with two of Asia’s largest energy generators. The agreement will see integrated battery storage systems utilised to reduce the risk of curtailment and increase the flexibility of renewable energy plants.

Scientists at Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research have developed a new method to produce lithium-sulfur based cathodes which exhibit stable performance and high storage capacity over 200 cycles. According to the agency, this represents “a promising step towards the commercialization of lithium-sulfur batteries.”

Two years after scrapping a draft that threatened to effectively ban the installation of lithium-ion batteries in Australian homes and garages, a new standard for battery storage sector has been released. While billed as a necessary safety measure for consumers, the new standard may make business and installation more complex for the battery storage sector.

Up to $20 million of grants will be awarded for microgrid feasibility studies across Australia through the first round of the Federal Government’s Regional and Remote Communities Reliability Fund. The fund aims to provide more secure, affordable and reliable power to regional communities and save “hundreds of millions of dollars” on network upgrades.