Commercial & Industrial PV

Award-winning and globally recognised Four Pillars gin distillery, which produces its premium product in Healesville, Victoria, has utilised Sustainable Australia Fund low-interest financing to solar power its stills, save money, and take a load off the grid and the environment.

Not all rooftops can bear the weight of glass PV modules. Some others have curves and shapes ill-suited to uniform, bulky panels. Flexible modules have long been advanced as the solution here, however the keys to unlocking this potential have proven elusive.

Both solar and the farming industry are beginning to see potential in the combined use of land for food production and energy generation. And as innovators begin to experiment with different forms, it’s becoming clear that in most cases it is solar that will have to bend to the needs of agriculture, and not the other way around, to ensure a positive outcome.

Mars Australia has signed a massive power purchase agreement with Victoria’s largest solar farm, Total Eren’s Kiamal Solar Farm, to offset 100% of its electricity with solar power. The confectioner has six factories and two offices in Australia which used over 850 GWh of energy in 2020, energy supplied by solar from now on.

Smart metering services provider Intellihub cracked the million meter mark this week as the smart meter market in Australia and New Zealand surges off the back of continuing solar uptake.

The Queensland Government-owned energy company, Stanwell Corporation, has announced it is from today seeking expressions of interest from renewable energy projects to incorporate into its fossil-fuel heavy portfolio.

The South Korean manufacturer has brought, to Europe and Australia, its recently launched shingled PERC panel, with an output ranging from 460 to 480 W and an efficiency of up to 20.5%. The products come with a 25-year linear power output guarantee and a 25-year product guarantee.

The Australian Energy Regulator has released its Default Market Offer for 2021-2022, and it is another fall in electricity prices, especially if you live in South Australia, New South Wales or south-east Queensland. The regulator says one of the main factors driving the now continuous fall in electricity prices is the investment in renewables, in particular the estimated uptake of rooftop solar.

The Ranger Uranium Mine, completely enclosed within the World Heritage-listed Kakadu National Park, ceased production in January 2021 after years of financial losses. Now, as part of a multi-million dollar rejuvenation of the Park, a solar and battery storage hybrid project is set for development at the town of Jabiru, a project which will help the town replenish itself as a tourist hub for one of Australia’s greatest treasures.

The coupling of solar PV energy facilities with water treatment plants continues to grow in popularity with two Queensland councils taking the plunge this week, announcing plans to commence construction on behind-the-metre solar farms.