The first of three planned 150 kW battery energy storage systems that are to form a combined 450 kW / 1 MWh capacity coordinated battery network across inner Melbourne has been switched on.

The Australian Energy Market Operator’s latest Integrated System Plan has stamped the role rooftop solar will play in the nation’s energy transition, revealing that the total capacity of rooftop PV and other distributed solar in the nation’s main grid is forecast to rise from 21 GW to 86 GW by 2050.

Lithium-sulphur battery play Li-S Energy has been awarded $1.35 million in federal funding to continue exploring the potential of its lightweight and energy dense batteries to deliver a drone that can operate from dawn to dusk on a single charge.

It’s time to assess curtailment, as rising amounts of excess generation are being wasted in several markets. This can be problematic for the solar industry but Toby Couture and David Jacobs, coordinators of think tank Global Solar PV Brain Trust, argue that curtailment is not always bad.

Plans to build a 5 GW / 120 GWh pumped hydro energy storage system in Queensland’s Pioneer Valley have received a positive boost with geotechnical investigations revealing the site is ideally suited for dam and tunnel construction.

The first of 18 electric buses to be manufactured in Perth as part of a joint $250 million Western Australian and federal government initiative has been rolled out as the state pushes ahead with plans to decarbonise its public transport system.

The European Solar Test Installation has confirmed Longi’s achievement of a world record-breaking efficiency rating of 34.6% for a perovskite-silicon tandem solar cell.

Ibrahim Ariffin and JP Grayda, from Afry Management Consulting, examine two promising ASEAN markets, the Philippines and Malaysia, and the challenges they face as they strive to hit renewable energy targets. The long-term outlook is broadly positive, despite some uncertainties.

Spanish renewable project developer Solarig has signed an agreement with Australian electricity and gas company Jemena to collaborate on the development of green hydrogen projects, dropping a pin on regional New South Wales.

Western Australia is on track to become home to the nation’s first clean energy training centre of excellence with the state and federal governments investing $70.5 million over five years to address labour shortages in Australia’s renewable energy transition.