Installations

Construction of the Kogan Renewable Hydrogen Demonstration Plant in Queensland’s Western Downs region is expected to start by September, with government-owned CS Energy, the plant’s operator, having finalised the EPC contract with IHI Engineering Australia to construct the project.

New Zealand’s federal government has opened the final funding round in its NZ$14 million (AU$13 million) Māori Housing Renewable Energy Fund, open to small and larger-scale projects.

The rollout of rooftop solar in the remote coastal town of Broome in northern Western Australia is set to get a boost with state-owned regional energy provider Horizon Power installing two centralised community batteries that are expected to unlock more than 1,400kW of solar PV hosting capacity.

With a PV panel surface area of 309.83m2, the solar tree is officially certified by Guinness World Records (GWR) as the largest solar tree in the world.

The international development entity has already invested $1 billion in local, off-grid electricity networks over the last decade – and attracted a further $1.1 billion in matched funding – and wants to set up mini-grids to supply electricity to 490 million people by 2030.

Renewable energy developers have until April 25 to lodge interest in developing a hybrid facility combining 1.5MW of hydroelectric generation capacity and 100MW of floating solar in the state of Maharashtra.

Work on the long-awaited 280MW Cultana Solar Farm in South Australia appears set to begin with Simec Energy Australia announcing this week it is preparing to start construction on the ~$350 million project.

German-owned renewable energy developer Wirsol Energy has added another 313MW of solar to its Australian operation and maintenance portfolio, securing the contracts for three utility scale solar farms.

For short-term storage in a 100% renewables grid, thermal energy storage located at concentrating solar power plants could compete with batteries, found a study using an idealised grid model. Seasonal storage needs could best be met with power-to-gas-to-power technology.

Federal Labor has promised to allocate $22 million to help establish the Lansdown Eco-Industrial Precinct being developed in northern Queensland if it wins the election in May.