Singapore-based solar developer Sunseap will develop 60 MW of rooftop PV across “hundreds of rooftops” on the island-state, to supply Microsoft with solar energy. The companies claim the project will be the largest cumulative solar project in Singapore, alongside being the largest of its kind to supply clean energy to a datacentre in the country.

Electricity retailer Powershop is dropping the rates for its Victorian customers by 5%, as it adds “a diverse set of renewable generation” to its portfolio. Powershop is the retail arms of New Zealand-based utility Meridian Energy.

Australia’s large-scale and rooftop solar PV sectors now employ over 10,000 people. The findings were published today in Green Energy Market’s Renewable Energy Index for January 2018.

The use of PV trackers in utility scale solar arrays in Australia broke all records in 2017, with the technology being deployed in more than 90% of plants under construction. GTM Research has revealed the findings to pv magazine Australia, drawn from its Global Solar PV Tracker Market Shares and Shipments 2018 report.

The next decade will see the Asia-Pacific region cement its position as the global leader for the deployment of non-hydro renewables, with over 500 GW of new capacity being added. BMI Research published the finding last week as a part of its Global Renewables Forecast.

As a part of its expanding quality and certification program, the Clean Energy Council has taken action to suspend or delist eight solar suppliers in the first two months of 2018. The action has applied to 156 PV module or inverter models, including Shenzhen Sofarsolar inverter 3000TL, which the CEC announced on Wednesday had failed testing.

The South Australian Labor Party has increased its Renewable Energy Target to 75% by 2025. It also plans to introduce a target of meeting 25% of the state’s peak electricity demand with stored renewables – equating to 750 MW of storage capacity.  

Australia’s first large scale solar+storage array has been grid connected, in Northern Queensland. The collocated 10.8 MW solar and 1.4 MW/5.3 MWh battery storage system is set to demonstrate the value of dispatchable PV to networks and asset owners.

There is absolutely no doubting that the installation rate of solar PV, both rooftop and utility scale, is growing extremely quickly. An exciting development, yeah, but installed capacity isn’t likely to double in 2018.

The Australian Wind Alliances’s NSW regional coordinator, Charlie Prell, attended the launch of the new Gullen Solar Farm at Bannaby, just south of Crookwell in the Southern Tablelands of NSW.