microgrid

Residents in the remote Northern Territory community of Marlinja are preparing to power up what is being described as Australia’s first 100% First Nations-owned and grid-connected solar microgrid.

Access issues and time constraints prompted the developers of a 1.75 MW PV system that now sits atop an industrial warehouse in western Sydney to employ a helicopter to lift the thousands of solar panels onto the roof.

A recent analysis shows that renewable energy could partially replace diesel fuel to power instruments and provide heat at the South Pole. A team of researchers has proposed a solar, wind and battery energy storage hybrid system that could reduce diesel consumption by 95% and save approximately $86 million over 15 years, after an initial investment of about $14.5 million.

AGL Energy has completed the installation of a solar-powered microgrid featuring a 5.4 MWh battery energy storage system that is to support the transition of a New South Wales commercial orchard’s operations from diesel to renewables.

Western Australian renewables infrastructure provider Pacific Energy has set up a new office in Victoria with the initial task of managing another first for the company, the delivery of a 26 MW hybrid power system in New South Wales.

United Kingdom-headquartered mobile power solutions specialist Aggreko has commissioned a new 4.4 MW solar system and 2 MW battery energy storage system to supply renewable power to Northern Star Resources’ Porphyry gold mining operation near Kalgoorlie in Western Australia.

French multinational energy management company Schneider Electric has released two new battery energy storage systems with enclosures of 2.1 metres and 6.06 metres. Their power ranges from 60 kW to 500 kW.

Western Australia’s rollout of solar-based standalone power systems is set to continue with the state government announcing a $26.4 million funding package to drive local manufacturing of components needed for clean energy projects.

The International Energy Agency has issued its first report on the importance of battery energy storage technology in the energy transition. It has found that tripling renewable energy capacity by 2030 would require 1,500 GW of battery storage.

Australia’s energy sector is undergoing a notable shift with new data from market analyst Sunwiz showing a record surge in utility-scale battery energy storage projects over 10 MWh in 2023 while residential and commercial installations also reached new highs.