Highlights

The Clean Energy Regulator has confirmed it has approved enough capacity to meet the Large-scale Renewable Energy Target (LRET). While this is a great achievement for the renewables industry, the question remains what comes beyond 2020. Although analysts expect a slow down, ANU researchers find the record installation rates will see Australia surpass the scrapped target of 41,000 GWh of renewable energy generation around the end of 2020.

Auckland’s electricity and water utility companies have announced a project to build New Zealand’s largest solar array, which will be situated atop a wastewater treatment pond.

Deliveries of Electric Vehicle (EV) maker Tesla’s best-selling Model 3 sedan have finally started in Australia, over 18-months after the EV’s first launch in the U.S. The belated runout is another boost to the accelerating EV industry in Australia.

Despite what Rystad Energy analysts describe as “a few teething issues” caused by the rapid uptake of solar PV, and renewables in general, in Australia and Vietnam, the flow of proposed utility-scale solar projects in both countries looks set to continue over the coming few years.

The New South Wales (NSW) Government has declared TransGrid’s proposed 900km interconnector from South Australia (SA) to NSW to be a project of Critical State Significant Infrastructure (CSSI). This signifies a strong boost to the dearth of transmission infrastructure revealed by the rapid growth of renewables, particularly solar PV.

Researchers from the Australian National University (ANU) have pushed the boundaries of solar cell efficiency by setting a record of 21.6% efficiency with perovskite cells above a certain size.

Newcastle, NSW, home to the world’s largest coal exporting harbour, has announced a plan to source 100% of the City of Newcastle’s power from renewable generation in a move that could save ratepayers millions in energy costs.

With the benefits solar panels can bring to cropland being considered in Europe, PV and aquaculture are working in tandem in Vietnam. Shrimp and fish farming requires land and lots of water but solar panels are helping mitigate those demands.

The Chinese giant has argued its 166mm M6 product should be the new iteration used worldwide, even though larger products have been launched by rivals. Longi says the fact existing cell and module production lines can be adapted for the M6 means rising demand for solar worldwide can be swiftly satisfied.

The Victorian Government has heeded solar industry and customer concerns and wrought substantial changes to the Solar Homes Rebate Program, including a significant increase in rebate allocations and a streamlining of the laborious online application portal.