Energy Storage

The Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) will provide $150 million in debt finance for the 212 MW Lincoln Gap wind farm. The project will include a utility scale battery system capable of provider 10 MWh of ‘fast response’ storage capacity.

The first sonnen system to be installed in Australia under the sonnenFlat pricing structure will save the family $2,000 on their electricity bills. Installer Natural Solar made the claim on Friday, when announcing the landmark system.

Zinc-bromide flow battery produced Redflow has announced that it is targeting production of 3,000 batteries a month from its new production facility in Thailand. Operation at the site is slated to begin by the end of 2017.

The Clean Energy Finance Corporation will provide $94 million as the sole debt financier of Australia’s first co-developed wind, solar and storage array. The 60 MW Kennedy Energy Park is being developed by Windlab and Eurus Energy and will combine 43.2 MW in wind capacity, 15 MW of solar PV, and 2 MWh of battery storage.

Dutch solar-powered car, with an average speed of 69 km/h and a carrying capacity of up to five people, has been hailed as the future of solar powered cars after competing in the World Solar Challenge.

The tender was part of a raft of announcements, including confirmation of a commitment to source 50% of its electricity from renewables by 2030. Queensland is fast emerging as a large scale solar hotspot, with hundreds of megawatts either having reached financial close or currently under construction.

“Airbus for batteries”-style alliance announced this week in Brussels aims to expedite European battery cell manufacturing and strengthen continent’s storage value chain in face of Asian and U.S. competition.

Senec Australia has presented its Home and Business battery storage solution at All Energy Australia for the first time, with Managing Director Ian Parkinson saying that the company is hoping to foster community resilience, in the face of rising electricity prices and the current contentious political debate about the security of electricity supply.

The highest rooftop penetration rates globally have not discouraged optimizer and inverter supplier SolarEdge from continuing to push hard into the Australian PV marketplace. Describing the market as “mature” and featuring “deep and rich sales models”, SolarEdge Founder Lior Handlesman said there are still plenty of rooftops to which solar can be added, in particular in the commercial and industrial (C&I) segment.

German battery suppliers are pushing strongly into the Australian market as households turn to solar+storage to combat high and rising electricity prices. However, installer capacity may prove a short-term bottleneck.