Renewables have continued their rise in Australia’s energy market with a new report published by the Australian Energy Market Operator revealing grid-scale solar, wind, hydro and rooftop solar PV provided almost one-third of the National Electricity Market’s power needs during the December quarter.

Singapore’s trillion-dollar sovereign wealth fund GIC has made a “strategic” investment in renewables developer InterContinental Energy, one of the major players behind mega solar and wind-powered green hydrogen projects planned for Western Australia’s Pilbara and southeast regions.

A proposed 900-kilometre electricity interconnector that will link power grids across three Australian states, unlocking gigawatts of new wind, solar PV and storage projects has progressed further with New South Wales network operator TransGrid confirming the Environmental Impact Statement for the project’s eastern section has been submitted.

Australian engineering firm UGL has secured the design and works contract for an 88 MW solar farm in outback Queensland and the engineering, procurement and construction contract for an 87 MW solar farm in South Australia as part of a works package expected to deliver a combined revenue of more than $296 million.

Transport accounts for nearly 20% of the total greenhouse gas emissions in Australia and Schneider Electric’s Sam Yfantis believes decarbonising the nation’s public transport must be prioritised to help meet sustainability targets and move Australia away from its dependency on fossil fuels.

Western Australia-based Altech Chemicals’ plan to develop a high-grade alumina coating plant for lithium-ion batteries in Germany has taken a crucial step forward with the acquisition of an industrial site that could potentially house the facility.

SUN Energy’s 100 MW Merredin Solar Farm in Western Australia has emerged as the country’s best performing utility PV project in 2021 with international consultancy firm Rystad Energy noting it delivered an average capacity factor of 29.6% for the calendar year.

Researchers in Singapore claim to have set a new record for the power conversion efficiency of perovskite/organic tandem solar cells, paving the way for flexible, lightweight, low cost and ultra-thin PV cells.

Anglo-Australian mining giant Rio Tinto’s ambition to become one of the world’s largest lithium suppliers has taken a battering with the Serbian government pulling the plug on the company’s $3.3 billion ($US2.4 billion) Jadar lithium-borates project.

Renewable energy developer Genex Power has announced that construction of a bold engineering project that will transform a retired gold mine site in north Queensland into a 250 MW/2 GWh pumped hydro energy storage facility is now ahead of schedule with underground works having commenced.