Utility Scale Storage

The focus of the federal government’s $22.7 billion commitment to Australia’s clean energy future has been queried with concerns raised about the capacity of the nation’s electricity network to support the shift from fossil fuel generation to renewables.

A high-voltage interconnector linking Australia’s eastern and western electricity grids would optimise the generation-storage mix for a minimum-cost solution as the nation transitions from a fossil-fuel-dependent economy to one based on renewable energy, according to a new paper.

A 150 MW solar farm and a 250 MWh battery energy storage system proposed for Victoria’s Central Highlands by British renewables developer Elgin Energy has won planning approval from the state government.

The Australian government has ticked off on a more than 1 GW solar farm and battery energy storage facility being developed in Queensland’s Southern Downs region.

Utility-scale energy storage solutions provider Energy Vault has struck a deal with ACEN Australia to build two new battery energy storage systems totalling 400 MWh alongside the 720 MW New England Solar Farm being developed in northern New South Wales.

Economic cooperation between India and Australia may open doors for investment in clean energy technology but challenges still abound in a competitive global market. Vibhuti Garg and Shantanu Srivastava, of the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, discuss the role that public funding and resource pooling could play in supporting manufacturing ambitions.

United Kingdon-based developer Renewable Energy Systems has expanded its presence in the Australian market with the acquisition of Windlab’s asset management portfolio, including the 60 MW Kennedy Energy Park in northern Queensland.

The capacity of a battery energy storage system to be built alongside the coal-fired Stanwell power plant in central Queensland has received a “mega boost,” increasing to 1.2 GWh as the state government looks to ramp up energy storage capacity to support the transition to renewables.

Fast-track approvals legislation in New Zealand is catching the eye of renewable energy investors in Australia amid concerns that bureaucratic red tape is impacting the timely delivery of key clean energy generation and storage projects.

Former Australian prime minister Julia Gillard has been named chair of a multi-billion renewable energy fund that is aiming to build a 15 GW portfolio of assets including wind, solar, and battery storage over the medium term.