Energy Storage

Vena Energy Australia has reached financial close on the second stage of its Tailem Bend 2 Hybrid Project thanks to a PPA with Zen Energy and green financial support from DBS, ING, and Siemens. The 128.5 MW project will comprise 87 MW of solar with 41.5 MW of battery energy storage.

Octopus Investments Australia, a subsidiary of the major global Octopus Group, today launched two renewable energy investment vehicles totalling $10 billion. The Octopus funds’ first joint acquisition is Australia’s largest operational solar farm, the 333 MW Darlington Point Solar Farm in New South Wales.

US scientist have developed a new electrolyte design for sodium-ion batteries to improve their long cycling performance. The low-solvation electrolyte was designed for high-voltage sodium-ion batteries, which retained 90% of their capacity after 300 cycles.

Tesla chair Robyn Denholm expects the company to double its EV sales in Australia by the year’s end, hoping to see its flagship product catch up to its Powerwall sales. Denholm also said Australia needs to expand its lithium refining and processing capacity at “sprinting pace” to properly capture the global battery opportunity.

Researchers at Melbourne’s Deakin University have discovered a novel way to separate, store and transport large amounts of gas. The method, they say, is efficient, affordable and creates no waste – carrying huge implications for the burgeoning green hydrogen industry and for the energy transition at large.

New research from Ireland shows that depleted oil and gas reservoirs may be used to store hydrogen at a cost of US$1.29/kg (AU$1.9/kg). According to the researchers, underground hydrogen storage may benefit from the technological maturity of the geologic storage of natural gas and CO2, which are associated with decades of established knowledge.

Victorian Opposition Leader Matthew Guy has vowed to “turbo-charge renewables”, promising at least one million additional Victorian homes would have solar PV and battery energy storage systems installed by 2035 if the Coalition is voted in at the November state election.

Australian renewables developer South Energy has announced a series of “significant milestones” with a trio of large-scale solar PV and battery projects, with an aggregated capacity of more than 390 MW, getting the tick of approval from relevant authorities.

GlobalData has predicted that the global electrolyser market will hit 8.52 GW by 2026. BP and Thyssenkrupp have agreed to cooperate on the use of hydrogen in the steel sector, while electrolyser supplier Nel Hydrogen has secured orders in Australia and Denmark

As Australia seeks to move beyond its global quarry status, the country’s first Cathode Precursor Production Pilot Plant launched on Monday in Western Australia’s Curtin University.