Highlights

Australian tech billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes, co-founder of Atlassian Corp, has used the sidelines of the United Nations Climate Action Summit in New York to announce plans to help fund the ambitious 10 GW, $20 billion, Sun Cable Project in the Northern Territory (NT).

Rooftop solar penetration has reached the point where a choice needs to be made between distribution networks spending billions on new substations, poles and wires to cope – or start delivering the grid of the future so consumers are not landed with unnecessary costs, says the Australian Energy Market Commission.

The China-headquartered battery manufacturer has opened a new assembly facility at Lonsdale, as part of its commitment to the South Australian Government’s Home Battery Scheme. Alpha-ESS batteries will form part of a new virtual power plant launched into the market this week by ShineHub and energy retailer Powershop.

Australia’s chief scientist Dr. Alan Finkel continues to push Australia toward a strong hydrogen economy produced by solar and wind through electrolysis. However, Finkel remains attached to the idea that toxically unpopular carbon capture and storage methods, a lifeline for fossil fuel producers, should also play a part.

Australia’s unwieldy and slow-to-adapt transmission network is one of the greatest roadblocks to continued development of renewable energy projects. Strategically deployed storage on transmission lines offers a flexible alternative to the upgrade and major build of new lines, says a new industry white paper.

Canada’s Hydrostor has closed US$37 million (AU$54,6 million) in growth financing. The company plans to use the funding to complete construction of the 5 MW/10 MWh Angas Project in South Australia and to advance its 2 GW pipeline of large-scale advanced compressed air energy storage projects.

The 106 MW Yatpool Solar Farm is nearing completion. The project is located in north-west Victoria notorious for grid limitations.

French renewable developer Neoen’s proposed hybrid power plant in South Australia is a monster, but is it a monster we can believe in? Along with industry experts we investigate the feasibility of Neoen’s Goyder South project.

French renewable developer giant Neoen has announced plans for a massive hybrid power plant in South Australia featuring 1200 MW of wind, 600 MW of solar and 900 MW of battery storage. The project will depend heavily on the SA-NSW interconnector.

Even with the boosted solar rebate offering, this month’s first round quota was taken up in minutes. Another 3,250 rebates are due to be released on Tuesday, September 17.