Scientists led by the University of Braunschweig have developed a new type of solar concentrator, which can concentrate light from any direction onto a small area, such as a solar panel. The researchers say that funnels can be tuned to different light wavelengths and stacked, allowing for conversion of the entire light spectrum into electricity.

Scientists led by Brown University have developed perovskite solar cells, which replace the toxic lead common to many of these material structures with titanium. The researchers say that with further optimization, the material could eventually be ideal for use as a tandem cell layer.

Monash University has announced plans to develop a PV powered microgrid at its Clayton Campus in Melbourne. The microgrid will meet the energy demands of the campus, provide ancillary services to Victoria’s grid, and provide an example for further research and industry engagement with renewable-centered energy systems.

The territory government announced on Friday that it has paid more than $3 million in grants to six companies. The money will support the roll out of storage installations in homes and businesses across the capital territory, in the form of rebates for customers buying energy storage systems.

The latest in a series of international players in the residential storage space, French hybrid inverter supplier Imeon Energy has announced plans to open a new service center in Melbourne, providing further evidence of Australia’s attractiveness in this market.

Large-scale storage began to gain a lot of attention in 2017, particularly after Elon Musk’s famed ‘100 days’ tweet back in March. Now that this project has proved an initial success, it looks like more big batteries are on the way for the National Electricity Market (NEM).

Data from the Clean Energy Regulator shows that Australia is nearing two million installed rooftop PV systems, having reached 1,778,687 as of the beginning of December 2017.

The Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore (SERIS) announced a new efficiency milestone, achieving 21.5% average cell efficiency for its fully screen printed bifacial silicon technology. According to SERIS, the milestone was achieved at pilot-scale production using commercially available wafers

Market analyst IHS Markit has issued its first forecast for 2018 installations. It expects the global market to surpass the 100 GW mark for the first time ever, hitting 108 GW.

Chinese/Australian developer Maoneng has signed a 15-year PPA to provide energy company AGL with 300 MW of PV projects, to provide up to 800,000 MWh of electricity per year. The projects form part of AGL’s plan to replace the coal-fired Liddell Power Station, set to close in 2022.