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The remote Northern Territory township of Jabiru, deep in the heart of the Kakadu National Park, has been powered 100% by solar PV during the final commissioning of the new Jabiru Hybrid Renewable Power Station.

Standalone power systems utilising solar PV and battery technology continue to gain traction in the Australian market with New South Wales Government-owned network service provider Essential Energy announcing it will seek input from customers living at the “edge of the grid” as it seeks to expand its roll out of the off-grid technology.

The Western Australian coastal town of Kalbarri can now be powered by an entirely renewable energy solution utilising rooftop solar and wind generation coupled with battery storage with state government-owned utility Western Power confirming the state’s largest renewable energy microgrid has been commissioned.

Australian Test cricket captain Pat Cummins is spearheading a campaign to have cricket clubs around the nation install solar PV systems in a bid to reduce carbon emissions, declaring it is time for the sport to do its bit to tackle climate change.

U.S. researchers have investigated how rooftop PV systems may affect air and building temperature in urban environments and, conversely, how the urban heat island (UHI) effect may have a negative impact on PV system performance. Their work considered urban air temperature, urban air pollution, the partial shading of the PV system, soiling, building heating and cooling loads, and outdoor shade.

The Indian Ocean island nation, which has been a prominent voice in the global calls to combat rising sea levels, will get technical assistance from the Asian Development Bank to draw up a tender for 20-30MW of photovoltaic generation capacity.

Norway-based REC Group’s REConstruct Initiative is helping communities hit hard by the Black Summer Bushfires of 2019-2020 by donating solar systems to help bring savings on electricity bills and independence to vulnerable areas cut off from the grid during the catastrophic fires.

The proposed measure, which will now pass to the Council of Ministers and European Parliament for debate, would further the adoption of PV, according to SolarPower Europe, especially if the commission’s proposal it be applied to public sector structures from 2027 is adopted.

Western Australian renewable energy company Plico Energy’s bold ambition to develop a grid-scale virtual power plant has received a major financial boost with Swiss investment firm SUSI Partners committing to provide capital for the rollout of 10,000 integrated solar-plus-battery systems.

Perth-based Hybrid Systems Australia has opened its new much-expanded facility in the Western Australian capital ahead of significant expansion in the outlay of its stand-alone power systems to regional and remote parts of the state.