Utility Scale Storage

Australian energy major AGL has announced that Victoria’s largest hydropower scheme will undergo a $40 million expansion in a move designed to improve energy security and help support the state’s continued uptake of renewables.

India will see a cumulative demand for around 600 GWh of lithium-ion batteries from 2021 to 2030 across all segments. The recycling volume coming from the deployment of these batteries will be 125 GWh by 2030.

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.

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.

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.

Australian renewables developer Edify Energy has secured more than $13 million in federal and state government funding to help finance the installation of a 25 MW/50 MWh battery energy storage system featuring advanced inverter technology next to its 275 MW Darlington Point Solar Farm in south-west New South Wales.