microgrid

Australian renewable energy tech start-up Okra Solar has raised $3 million to scale up distribution of its solar-based hardware and software solutions and electrify more than 290,000 off-grid homes in Nigeria in the next three years while expanding its operations in Haiti and other countries.

The Northern Territory’s Desert Knowledge Australia Solar Centre will soon play host to a large-scale battery energy storage system which is expected to facilitate the transformation of the multi-technology solar testing facility into a local microgrid.

Western Australia’s regional utility Western Power has confirmed plans to install another 4,000 standalone power systems across the state in the next 10 years after reaching a milestone in the rollout of the renewable energy units.

The rollout of rooftop solar in the western suburbs of Melbourne is set to get a boost with Victorian network service provider Powercor identifying the site where it will install a community battery that is expected to unlock more than 129MWh of solar PV hosting capacity.

With some of the highest rooftop solar PV penetration in Australia the outback town of Alice Springs will soon play host to the Northern Territory’s first resident Virtual Power Plant with the project partners exploring how best to bolster the reliability of the local grid and pave the way for the increased penetration of renewable energy.

Chinese battery manufacturer BYD has launched an expanded portfolio of energy storage systems designed for the commercial and industrial solar markets. At The smarter E in Munich last month the company also provided a sneak peak at a new high-voltage storage system expected to be launched later this year.

Western Australian Premier Mark McGowan and Energy Minister Bill Johnston were in attendance yesterday when Horizon Power and Pacific Energy officially opened the Shark Lake Renewables Hub, which features 4 MW of solar alongside wind turbines, battery energy storage and a gas power plant.

Electricity distributor Endeavour Energy has announced plans to deploy a solar-powered community microgrid featuring 3MW/3.5MWh of battery energy storage in a bid to improve the resilience and reliability of electricity supply for regional communities on the New South Wales South Coast.

Australian redox flow battery manufacturer Redflow’s push into the United States market has received a major boost with the company announcing it will work with California-based biowaste technology firm Anaergia on the installation of a solar and 5.5-6MWh battery energy storage solution.

Mine sites across Western Australia are decarbonising after Zenith Energy and modular solar pioneer 5B signed an Ecosystem Framework Agreement-Deployment, which will see 5Bs rapidly deployable Maverick solar systems installed along with battery energy storage systems at multiple mine sties.