Solar panel and system prices are on the decline but figures provided by energy industry analyst SunWiz show that an increasing number of Australian households are opting to forgo savings in search of increased generation capacity.

Oil and gas producer Pilot Energy has filed plans to build a 375 MWdc solar farm in Western Australia’s mid-west as part of the company’s longer-term strategy to leverage its existing assets into the production of clean energy.

Fortescue has announced plans to open its first manufacturing centre in the United States, partnering with the state of Michigan to establish a production hub for automotive and heavy industry batteries, fast chargers and hydrogen electrolysers.

Australia’s rooftop solar sector continues to shine bright with new data from the Australian Energy Market Operator revealing that distributed PV output across the main grid reached a record high in the final quarter of 2023.

Resources giant Rio Tinto has signed Australia’s largest yet corporate power purchase agreement – agreeing to buy 100% of the output from European Energy Australia’s 1.1 GW Upper Calliope Solar Farm to provide renewable power to its aluminium operations in Queensland.

New South Wales electricity distributor Ausgrid is exploring the potential of solar-powered microgrids to enhance energy security for communities during extreme weather events and extended outages with construction having started on what will be the company’s first microgrid.

Mega-miner BHP has reportedly put a request for proposal out to energy suppliers seeking new wind, solar and battery energy storage capacity as it progresses plans to electrify and decarbonise its mining operations in Western Australia’s Pilbara region.

The Engineering, Procurement, and Construction industry stands at the nexus of innovation and change in the renewable energy sector where tendering processes and project approval rates will become critical focal points for many firms and broader developers.

The largest integrated off-grid solar and battery storage facility in Australia when it was deployed, the DeGrussa solar and battery hub in remote Western Australia has reached end of life with asset owner Neoen confirming it is now planning to remove the more than 34,000 solar panels and rehabilitate the site.

Trina Solar is preparing to launch a new Vertex S+ series panel in Australia that features a maximum power output of 505 W and 22.5% efficiency and has been designed specifically for commercial and industrial applications.