Former solar installer Gavin Brady has been convicted by a Victorian magistrate after an investigation by the Clean Energy Regulator found he falsely claimed to have installed 11 solar systems. When converted to Small-scale Technology Certificates, those false claims were worth $50,000 (USD 35,500).

Storage Hub founder Oliver Schmidt speaks with pv magazine about his outlook for battery energy storage pricing and the cost trajectory of electrolyzers. Schmidt’s new book, “Monetising Energy Storage – A toolkit to assess future cost and value,” will be published by Oxford University Press in June.

The World Future Energy Summit showed that Middle Eastern solar markets are still driven by utility-scale PV, although the C&I sector shows signs of growth. Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates are the most promising markets for big solar projects, with huge pipelines under development, while Lebanon and Yemen show promise due to chronic energy shortages.

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.

Before Puerto Rico had a chance to recover from Hurricane Maria, in 2017, it was rocked by earthquakes and then, in September 2022, the island was struck again – this time by Hurricane Fiona. These disasters severely impacted Puerto Rico’s infamously fragile power grid, but have emboldened local communities to take power into their own hands through solar and battery storage, and increasingly in the form of microgrids. Compelled by catastrophic circumstances, Puerto Rico must now push toward energy resilience and in the process may see itself become a model not just for other islands, but mainland grids as well.

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency’s recent funding spree has continued after it awarded a further $1.04 million (USD 700,000) to the University of Wollongong for a project that will look to develop national standards for harmonic compliance assessments. The current and rather ad hoc methodologies are proving incapable of addressing the challenges brought with increased renewable energy integration.

The strength of applications for the Australian Renewable Energy Agency’s ultra-low-cost solar research funding round was so strong the agency had to add $1.5 million (USD 1.03 million) to its original allocation. The strength of competition pushed the process into 2023, but now the 13 research projects aiming to achieve ultra-low-cost solar have been awarded.

French renewable energy giant Neoen has begun construction on its 200 MW/400 MWh Western Downs Battery in Queensland, next to the developer’s 460 MWp Western Downs solar farm. The Western Downs Battery is Neoen’s fourth big battery in Australia and brings its storage portfolio to 776 MW/1,279 MWh in operation or under construction. 

On the back of the Covid-19 pandemic, geopolitical conflict and allegations of forced labour in sectors critical to the renewable energy transition, awareness of supply chain insecurity has rarely been higher. Seeking to strike while the iron is hot, the Clean Energy Council and law firm Norton Rose Fulbright have published a white paper arguing that Australia’s own renewable energy supply chains could “benefit significantly” by a more concerted effort to address modern slavery.

Australia’s only solar panel manufacturer, Tindo Solar, has announced a doubling of sales for both solar panels and battery storage in recent months. The manufacturer attributes the boom to the concatenation of rising energy costs, a potential recession, and increasing consumer awareness about the importance of buying quality products.