Highlights

Singaporean authorities have granted conditional approval to SunCable’s flagship AustraliaAsia PowerLink, with SunCable’s interim CEO describing the win as a “vote of confidence in the commercial and technical viability of our project.”

Australian software developer PV Lighthouse has secured almost $2 million in federal to drive the continued development of its SunSolve Yield advanced simulation engine that is designed to improve yield forecasting for utility-scale solar projects.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is hot right now and is finding central applications in homes and businesses as they move from simple grid connections to self-generation, energy storage, electric vehicle charging, and load-shifting revenue streams. With AI everywhere, what’s the difference between advanced control via simple algorithms, and true intelligence?

Australians have installed a record number of both heat pumps and rooftop solar system this quarter, according to Clean Energy Regulator. If Q4, typically solar’s biggest quarter, proves substantial, the nation could match its annual rooftop record of 3.2 GW set in 2021.

New South Wales was home to 13 of the top 20 performing solar farms in November, with the state generating 682 GWh from utility-scale PV. Overall, Australia’s large-scale renewable generation was up 7% from the previous November, Rystad’s Senior Renewables Analyst Dave Dixon said.

Cue, a town in Western Australia’s midwest, has installed 259 kW of solar and a 336 kWh battery system to wean itself off diesel. The installation is part of Horizon Power’s Midwest Solar Program and belongs within a much larger state-wide transformation.

More than 1 GW of firmed storage capacity is set to be delivered by the six winning projects from the New South Wales (NSW) tender combining state and federal schemes. Akaysha Energy’s 415 MW / 1660 MWh battery in Wellington and AGL’s 500 MW / 1000 MWh Liddell battery are the round’s two biggest projects.

Australian hydrogen project developer Abel Energy has selected UK firm Johnson Matthey and US company SunGas Renewables in the design of its flagship green hydrogen and methanol project at Bell Bay in northern Tasmania.

Fortescue has announced three projects – two in Australia and the other in the US – have reached final investment decision (FID). The company held its annual general meeting today, where members voted down its contentious executive pay policy.

The NSW government has published a suite of draft guidelines for renewable projects, most notably proposing community benefit sharing fees of $850/MW per annum for solar, and $1050/MW for wind. While the guidelines are an attempt to level the playing field between communities, local councils, and big developers, some fear the proposed rules could undercut ongoing negotiations.