Researchers at Victoria’s Monash University have developed a new lithium-sulphur battery design they claim requires less lithium, has more energy per unit volume, lasts longer and can be produced for half the price of the dominant lithium-ion technology.

The Clean Energy Finance Corporation has made its first investment via the Australian government’s $20 billion (USD 12.67 billion) Rewiring the Nation Fund, committing $100 million to support the build-out of renewable generation, long-duration storage and grid infrastructure in New South Wales.

Boundary Power is claiming an Australian first with the unveiling of a 100% relocatable and modular stand-alone power system that integrates solar with a hydrogen electrolyser and storage system, doing away with the traditional back-up diesel generator.

Aspiring renewable energy developer ACE Power will partner with the clean energy arm of Japanese energy giant Osaka Gas to jointly develop a portfolio of Australian solar and battery projects with a total capacity of more than 500 MW.

Queensland state-owned CleanCo has opened an expression of interest process to add 3 GW of wind and solar generation to its portfolio “to support our customers to achieve their sustainability goals, and to advance Queensland’s energy transformation”.

A green hydrogen collective that includes Australia’s Fortescue is set to share in more than $11 billion (USD 7 billion) of United States government funding as the Biden administration seeks to accelerate the commercial-scale production and deployment of low-cost, renewable hydrogen.

Energy security concerns are mounting as renewable projects and transmission lines are delayed. In New South Wales, for instance, the government has flagged it may defer the closure of Eraring coal power station beyond 2025.

South Korean steelmaker Posco and French renewables giant Engie are investigating the feasibility of establishing a large-scale renewable hydrogen project in Western Australia that would provide fuel for a green iron venture planned for the state’s Pilbara region.

The company supplying the technology for what has been branded Australia’s “biggest battery” has cautioned that manufacturers must ramp up their focus on hardware, increase investment in advanced software and improve testing practices to minimise the risk of lithium-ion batteries catching fire.

Four solar pioneers, including the Australian scientists Martin Green and Andrew Blakers, have been awarded the world’s most prestigious engineering prize for their groundbreaking research into solar cell technology.