Solcast, a DNV company, reports that Victoria, Tasmania, Western Australia, and New South Wales were over-performing solar regions in March. This overperformance in the southeast and southwest came despite most of the Australian continent seeing below-average irradiance, due to thicker-than-usual clouds over the sparsely-populated interior and tropics.

The central Australian town of Alice Springs is on track to achieve 50% renewable power generation by 2030 but a new report says urgent investment and action is needed to integrate the increasing amounts of renewable energy, including solar PV and battery energy storage, into its isolated grid.

Beijing Energy International’s push into the Australian renewable energy market continues at pace with the China-based company striking a deal to acquire energy retailer TPC.

China-headquartered inverter manufacturer Solplanet is continuing to expand its product portfolio in Australia with the impending launch of a new three-phase hybrid inverter series designed for residential and small-scale commercial and industrial applications.

Adelaide-based PV manufacturer Tindo Solar is expected to be among the first applicants for a grant from the Australian government’s $1 billion Solar Sunshot program as it looks to scale up its production capacity to compete in a growing domestic market dominated by imports.

Singapore-headquartered renewable energy infrastructure developer Metis Energy has locked in a renewables supply contract for its first major Australian project – the 94 MW Gunsynd Solar Farm being built in southwest Queensland.

New Zealand renewables developer Lightyears Solar has announced it will roll out three new community-scale PV farms with a combined capacity of 18 MW after completing a $5.51 million (NZD 6 million) capital raise.

Renewable energy developer and independent power producer Neoen is reportedly considering selling a large portion of its Australian portfolio of clean energy projects that exceeds 3.75 GW of assets currently under construction or in operation.

Solar SunShot is well named. The Australian government has announced it will plough $1 billion into bringing back solar manufacturing to Australia, boosting energy security, swapping coal and gas jobs for those in the solar industry, and guarding against supply chain shocks and geopolitical tension.

Trina Solar continues to cement its transition from PV panel manufacturer to a single supplier for solar projects, having delivered both the modules and the tracking system for what is New Zealand’s largest operational solar farm.