Sunshine Coast to host Australian first local renewable energy zone
A “nation first” local renewable energy zone will be established on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast as part of a pilot program designed to boost rooftop solar generation, store it and share it locally across the poles and wires infrastructure that already exists.
Community solar to power up multinational company
Australia’s largest general insurance company has inked a power purchase agreement with Cleanpeak Energy that will source supply from the 1.5 MW Grong Grong Solar Farm in southwest New South Wales.
Victorian town turns to solar and storage for energy security
A solar-powered microgrid has been launched in the Victorian town of Monbulk as part of a $7.5 million state government program designed to better protect communities in fire and storm-prone areas against prolonged blackouts caused by extreme weather events.
Community battery rollout picks up pace adding 980 kWh capacity in NSW
The deployment of community batteries rolls on in New South Wales with network operators Endeavour Energy and Ausgrid both launching new energy storage systems on their networks.
Energex teams with Origin to explore neighbourhood battery benefits
Queensland government-owned energy company Energex is pushing ahead with the deployment of up to 35 pole- and ground-mounted community batteries in the city of Ipswich as it explores how to best store and reuse solar energy from the state’s approximately 1 million rooftop solar systems.
NT community claims ‘Australian first’ with solar-powered microgrid
Residents in the remote Northern Territory community of Marlinja are preparing to power up what is being described as Australia’s first 100% First Nations-owned and grid-connected solar microgrid.
Rooftop solar install gets Victorian country fire stations emergency ready
Fifteen fire stations in Victoria’s northeast have been fitted with a combined 108 kW of rooftop solar in a move designed to improve energy security and increase community resilience during emergency events including extreme weather and bushfires.
A rose by any other name: Haystacks Solar Garden in full bloom
Australia’s first large-scale solar garden will be officially launched in the New South Wales Riverina town of Grong Grong with hundreds of ‘gardeners’ on hand to celebrate the milestone that has allowed people previously locked out of rooftop PV to access the benefits of solar.
Community group uses C&I solar profits to provide job opportunities
A volunteer-based community group is using profits generated by commercial and industrial rooftop solar installations to help build a “bridge to the future” as the Illawarra region on the New South Wales south coast transitions its workforce into new employment.
Endeavour goes live with community battery on NSW south coast
Endeavour Energy has activated the first community battery on its network in the New South Wales South Coast as part of a broader program the electricity distributor says will support a higher uptake of renewables and allow more households to access the benefits of rooftop solar.
