Western Australia has been offered a glimpse of its energy future with the $35 million Project Symphony aggregating its first package of residentially generated energy and successfully participating in a simulated two-way Wholesale Electricity Market.

Australian renewable energy developer MPower has boosted its solar PV and energy storage portfolio, announcing it has finalised an $8 million transaction which will see it purchase the Lakeland Solar & Energy Storage Project in far north Queensland.

Victoria’s Deakin University will spearhead what it claims will be the largest recycling and clean energy advanced manufacturing ecosystem in Australia after securing $50 million in funding through the Federal Government’s $242.7 million Trailblazer Universities Program.

The International Energy Agency expects the global expansion of solar PV, wind power and other renewable energy technologies will continue to defy rising costs and supply chain bottlenecks to reach triple-digit growth this year with solar additions forecast to reach almost 200GW.

Singapore-headquartered solar manufacturer Maxeon Solar Technologies has declared it is moving “beyond the panel”, teaming with multinational battery manufacturer AlphaESS to develop integrated solar and energy storage solutions for the residential sector.

New Zealand’s transition to renewable energy has received a boost with German investment manager Aquila Capital teaming with renewable energy asset developer Far North Solar Farm to announce they will commence construction on a 1GW portfolio of large-scale solar PV projects.

Origin Energy has secured planning approval for a 700MW/2,800MWh grid-connected battery to be developed at the site of its coal-fired Eraring power station in the New South Wales Hunter Valley.

With global demand for both large scale and distributed battery energy storage on the rise, Australian battery manufacturer Energy Renaissance has reaffirmed its commitment to produce a lithium-ion storage solution using Australian suppliers and components.

The solar supply chain problems that began last year with high prices and polysilicon shortages are persisting into 2022. But we are already seeing a stark difference from earlier predictions that prices would decline gradually each quarter this year. PV Infolink’s Alan Tu probes the solar market situation and offers insights.

The University of New South Wales and the University of Newcastle will join forces to develop and commercialise “world-leading” technology in solar, renewable hydrogen, storage and green metals after securing $50 million in Federal Government funding through the Trailblazer program.