Highlights

The World Bank says global operational floating PV capacity has topped 1.1 GW, noting that adding floating solar to hydropower plants improves their flexibility while increasing energy yields. According to the latest WB report, Australia and Oceania have potential for 5 GW of floating solar on freshwater man-made reservoirs under conservative assumptions, and up to 50 GW under the most favorable scenario.

Looking to set the direction for a smart energy future, the New South Wales government has launched the Emerging Energy Program. As part of the scheme, funding will be provided to support the commercialization of new low-emissions, large-scale power generation and storage projects, as well as underpin feasibility studies to help get new projects off the ground.

With over 1 GW of trackers supplied to Australia, which is one of its key markets alongside the home turf of the United States, Array Technologies claims a substantial market share amid fierce competition Down Under. pv magazine Australia caught up with Ron Corio, the company’s Founder and Chief Innovation Officer to discuss Array’s new tracking optimization technology and performance in the market.

By 2021, solar will become one of the most dominant power sources over peak daytime periods, accounting for around a quarter of the National Electricity Market’s power, shows new analysis by Green Energy Markets. The report underlines that solar is currently reducing expensive demand peaks, and is not close to exceeding demand as certain media reports have suggested.

The South Australian government has inaugurated its landmark $100 million Home Battery Scheme, which will subsidize the cost of buying a home energy storage system for up to 40,000 South Australian households. A nine-week priority period has been given to locally made battery systems, with Germany’s sonnen as the first provider to enjoy this benefit.

Sydney Water’s Bondi sewage pumping station will soon be storing solar energy through the use of 30 kWh of sodium-ion batteries, a cheaper alternative to the traditional lithium-ion batteries.

Melbourne-based energy tech startup GreenSync has officially launched the Decentralized Energy Exchange (deX), a digital marketplace for grid services provided by rooftop solar arrays, battery storage and EVs owned by Australian homes and businesses.

Know for its blockchain-based P2P platform that allows energy trading between households, the Perth-based company is now launching a new token designed to provide retail investors with the opportunity to fund and generate revenue from shared renewable energy infrastructure.

The 30 MW / 30 MWh Ballarat Battery Energy Storage System has been officially commissioned by the Victorian Labor government, as the first of the two grid-scale batteries that will provide support to the Victorian grid by the start of this summer.

A super-fast network being rolled out across Australia will allow drivers to charge their electric vehicles in just minutes, 15 times faster than typical domestic charging points which take hours. All the charging stations will be powered through the purchase of renewable energy or on-site solar.