New South Wales power grid owner Transgrid has pinpointed a trio of sites in the state’s far west that could host remote renewable energy zones that it said could help address the challenges posed by an energy transition that it is in “vertical take-off.”

The Victoria Energy Policy Centre has issued a call for new policy to drive the deployment of large-scale rooftop solar backed by batteries on Australia’s commercial and industrial properties not just for self-consumption but also so power can be exported to the grid at times of peak demand.

Australia can still achieve a net-zero energy transformation by 2050, in line with the Paris climate agreement, but new analysis from Bloomberg New Energy Finance shows there is no time to waste with a rapid scaling up of investment in solar, wind and energy storage required.

Nearly a decade after the first iteration of its Powerwall home battery system was released, electric car and battery manufacturer Tesla has officially launched the Powerwall 3 in Australia and New Zealand with the first deliveries expected next month.

Acen Australia’s plan to develop a 600 MW solar farm and 600 MW / 1,200 MWh battery energy storage system in central west New South Wales has received a major boost with the state’s Independent Planning Commission giving its tick of approval.

Construction of a 150 MW solar farm will go ahead at New Zealand’s Christchurch Airport precinct with joint venture partners Lightsource bp and Contact Energy announcing a final investment decision on the project.

Australian listed battery materials and technology company Novonix has inked a joint development agreement with Brazilian niobium products supplier CBMM to produce cathode materials for use in lithium-ion batteries.

Fortescue has broken ground on a $75.5 million project in Western Australia’s Pilbara region that is to produce green iron using renewable hydrogen produced onsite through 1.4 MW of electrolyser capacity powered in part by the nearby 60 MW Chichester Solar Farm.

New Zealand power company Genesis Energy has taken another step in delivering on its commitment to build 500 MW of grid-scale solar by the end of 2028 with the acquisition of a 114 MW consented PV project on the nation’s North Island.

Thousands more homes and businesses in regional Western Australia now have the option to install rooftop PV with Horizon Power announcing it has completed the rollout of internet-connected technology that eliminates network hosting capacity constraints in its service area.