An international consortium planning to build a 50 GW renewable energy hub in Australia’s southwest has signed an early agreement with Korea’s largest electricity utility to advance the development of what would be one of the world’s largest green hydrogen production facilities.

The Queensland government has identified a dozen regions across the state for renewable energy zones that will form the backbone of its $62 billion (USD 41.5 billion) energy transition plan that calls for an additional 22 GW of new wind and solar projects by 2035.

Discount supermarket giant Aldi plans to add another 34 MWp of PV to its rooftop solar network in Australia within the next 18 months after announcing that its transition to 100% renewable electricity has received the stamp of approval from the federal government’s Clean Energy Regulator.

Western Australian government-owned utility Synergy will offer free electricity to eligible customers in a move that is designed in part to help counter challenges the state’s main power grid faces when rooftop solar generation is high and demand for energy in the system is low.

Victorian network operator AusNet Services’ independent subsidiary Mondo Power has completed the installation and commissioning of 17 stand-alone power systems featuring PV and battery energy storage as part of its inaugural trial of the off-grid technology.

The 150 MW/300 MWh Ulinda Park battery project planned for Queensland’s Western Downs region is a step closer to a final investment decision with battery and renewable energy developer Akaysha Energy inking a hedging deal designed to manage revenue-related risks for the estimated $150 million (USD 100 million) project.

Australian startup Allume Energy’s SolShare platform, that allows multiple energy consumers to share the benefits of a single rooftop solar array, has been deployed in New Zealand for the first time with the technology installed at a three-storey public housing complex in Christchurch.

The need to cut the emissions driving climate change is urgent, but it’s proving hard to decarbonise road transport in Australia. Its share of the nation’s total greenhouse gas emissions doubled from 8% in 1990 to 16% in 2020.

Consultation is now open on the design of the federal government’s $2 billion (USD 1.33 billion) Hydrogen Headstart program that is aimed at bridging “the commercial gap for early projects” and placing Australia on course to develop 1 GW of electrolyser capacity by 2030 through two to three flagship projects.

A 325 MW/2,600 MWh pumped hydro project planned for the New South Wales central west faces an indefinite delay with developer Atco announcing it will hold off on the next stage of the regulatory approvals process until the state government’s policy frameworks “are close to being able to support financial investment decisions for large-scale infrastructure.”