Events

The world’s largest solar event has expanded to accommodate the remarkable growth of China’s PV industry, which remains unfazed by future oversupply and international competition. Analysts and market players say Chinese PV demand could reach 130 GW.

Australia and India will establish a Green Hydrogen Taskforce, with prime ministers today agreeing to the Taskforce’s terms of reference. The meeting strengthens ties between India and Australia in relation to renewable energy ambitions and manufacturing, with plans extending to critical mineral and solar manufacturing.

Renewable curtailment in Australia has grown by almost 40% from a year ago, Daniel Westerman, head of AEMO says. Frustratingly, the revelation came in the same forum where the head of Australia’s green bank warned the nation is not on track to reach its target of 80% renewable generation by 2030.

While Australia’s home battery market seems to have attracted most of the interest from newcomers, there has been some significant new developments in the commercial and utility-scale space. Pv magazine Australia examined the new products and companies in the commercial and utility battery storage space on display at the Smart Energy Conference.

The grass below the 110 MW Beryl Solar Farm in central New South Wales caught fire on Monday, April 24, and was brought under control by emergency services that same afternoon. While the damage is still being assessed, a spokesperson said the unaffected areas of the solar farm will be brought back online today, April 26.

PV Expo and the wider Smart Energy Week wrapped up in Tokyo last week. It revealed ambitious plans for solar and energy storage installations in Japan, including creative approaches to dealing with a severe lack of space for new installations, which should bring plenty of opportunities for domestic and international players.

The Jakarta-hosted Solartech tradeshow showed the Indonesian renewable energy landscape’s potential, despite the small size of its solar market.

The World Future Energy Summit showed that Middle Eastern solar markets are still driven by utility-scale PV, although the C&I sector shows signs of growth. Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates are the most promising markets for big solar projects, with huge pipelines under development, while Lebanon and Yemen show promise due to chronic energy shortages.

An educational event series aimed at upskilling engineers to enter the hydrogen industry is launching in February in Melbourne. The Hydrogen Industry Technical Series 2023 is being organised by the Victorian divisions of the Australian Institute of Energy and Engineers Australia.

The United Arab Emirates is treating Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, which includes the World Future Energy Summit, as a trial run before the nation hosts the COP28 climate talks in November.