The merits of pre-assembled and modular solar solutions have been showcased by independent power provider Nomadic Energy which this week revealed it had taken less than 21 days to complete a 2MW install at Northern Star Resources’ Carosue Dam gold mining operation near Kalgoorlie in Western Australia.

The South Australian industrial city of Whyalla has been revealed as the preferred location for a $593 million green hydrogen project that the state opposition plans to build if it wins this month’s state election.

Construction is set to commence immediately on the first stage of a 1.2GW hybrid wind, solar and battery energy storage project in Central Queensland following Australian iron ore magnate Andrew Forrest’s announcement that he has invested $3 billion in the ‘shovel ready’ development.

Fortescue Future Industries’ plans to establish a 2GW renewable energy infrastructure-manufacturing facility and a separate 50,000 tonne green hydrogen production facility in Queensland have reached a major milestone with state-owned network operator Powerlink agreeing to connect the project sites to its transmission network.

The deployment of standalone power systems in the National Electricity Market is expected to accelerate after the Australian Energy Market Commission this week published new rules allowing distributors to install the renewables-based technology in the five market jurisdictions.

More than 3 million Australian households and small businesses have voluntarily installed rooftop solar systems but a local council in New South Wales is looking to mandate the continued rollout, investigating the potential for all new homes built in its region to be required to have solar PV panels on the roof.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has flatly opposed the bid led by tech billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes to buy Australia’s biggest energy company AGL and spend $20 billion switching it to renewables. This includes closing its coal power stations by 2030.

The famous Melbourne Cricket Ground is claiming an Australian first with energy retailer EnergyAustralia saying the iconic sports ground in the Victorian capital is the first major stadium in the nation to be run entirely on 100% renewable power.

A cohort of 25 New South Wales councils has signed a renewable energy supply deal worth an estimated $180 million that will see the local government associations supplied with electricity sourced from three of the state’s large-scale solar farms.

Australian technology company Lavo’s innovative energy storage system – based on storing green hydrogen in a patented metal hydride – has attracted the attention of the UK government which has provided financial backing to allow for a demonstration facility to be installed in England’s northwest.