Utility-scale solar energy investor New Energy Solar has confirmed it will sell off its Australian portfolio, declaring the policy and regulatory environment for renewables in Australia is not conducive to growing the business and achieving economies of scale.

Battery technology company Relectrify has turned its focus to the commercial and industrial (C&I) sector with the launch of a 36 kW / 120 kWh commercial-scale modular battery energy storage system (BESS) which utilises second-life electric vehicle (EV) battery packs.

Australia’s largest energy retailer, AGL, is working towards net-zero emissions by 2050 but it can not come soon enough for some with new government data revealing the energy giant is the nation’s biggest polluter, emitting more than 42 million tonnes of carbon emissions in the past year.

A “tidal wave” of new solar and wind energy in Australia is poised to wipe out several coal-fired power stations in the National Electricity Market (NEM) with a new report suggesting the financial viability of the fossil-fuel generators will be so severely compromised within five years closure will become an attractive or even unavoidable choice.

Construction has commenced on the 300 MW / 450 MWh Victoria Big Battery storage facility near Geelong after the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) provided French renewable energy developer Neoen with a $160 million funding injection.

With rooftop solar installations numbers hitting record highs right across the nation, the Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) has announced new technical standards for inverters will be introduced to help the electricity grid cope with the influx and provide system strength.

The West Australian Wholesale Energy Market (WEM) is in for a major shake-up with the State Government’s Energy Transformation Taskforce unveiling plans for a redesign which it said will fully integrate renewable energy – in all its guises – into the power system.

Smart metering services provider Intellihub has outlined a series of targeted reforms – including strengthening testing requirements – in its submission to the Australian Energy Market Commission’s (AEMC) review into the sector’s regulatory framework, cautioning that unless changes are made Australia risks being left behind.

Owners of property in strata-titled buildings in New South Wales will soon find it easier to make the switch to renewable energy with the State Government ushering in changes to laws in a bid to pave the way for easier installation of solar PV, renewable energy storage systems and electric vehicle (EV) charging stations.

Western Australian-based gold and nickel exploration company Province Resources has announced its intention to enter the renewable energy sector, floating plans to develop a 1 GW wind and solar PV green hydrogen production facility in the state’s north west.