Community

Western Australian government-owned utility Synergy will offer free electricity to eligible customers in a move that is designed in part to help counter challenges the state’s main power grid faces when rooftop solar generation is high and demand for energy in the system is low.

Victorian network operator AusNet Services’ independent subsidiary Mondo Power has completed the installation and commissioning of 17 stand-alone power systems featuring PV and battery energy storage as part of its inaugural trial of the off-grid technology.

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory researchers have shown that microgrids equipped with solar-plus-storage systems can maintain an average levelised cost of energy (LCOE) below USD 0.30/kWh and limit annual public safety power shutoffs to 2% to 3% of annual energy demand.

The Clean Energy Finance Corporation has awarded the Australian arm of Malaysia-headquartered property developer Mulpha an $80 million (USD 53.95 million) loan to help deliver the first stage of an energy-efficient apartment development in Sydney’s Hills district which is to be powered by 100% renewable energy.

Australia is set to electrify everything. Vibrant communities willing to trial the transition are the first in line to learn what to do and how to bring everyone along, reports pv magazine Australia’s Natalie Filatoff.

Large-scale and rooftop solar installations are expected to contribute a record 286 GW of new generation capacity this year with renewable energy on course to shatter global deployment records in 2023.

The rollout of rooftop solar in the coastal town of Broome in northern Western Australia has received a major boost with a 274.45 kW PV system installed at the local high school as the state government continues its push to deliver solar energy solutions for its remote and regional schools.

Record solar generation from both large-scale and rooftop PV is driving down the wholesale cost of energy, helping set new records for minimum demand for electricity from the grid and reducing emissions to record lows according to new data provided by the Australian Energy Market Operator.

Western Australia’s regional utility, Horizon Power, has bought a 50% stake in local solar company West Australian Alternative Energy.

The remote town of William Creek in outback South Australia is now being powered entirely by solar backed by a battery energy storage system after the switch was flicked on a 200 kW PV array that eliminates the need for diesel generation.