CEFC confirms $490 million commitment to accelerate NSW grid transformation
Development of the Central West Orana Renewable Energy Zone is predicted to now accelerate with the federal government’s green bank announcing a $490 million commitment to support the development of key grid infrastructure in the New South Wales central west.
Bowen targets 20% market share with Solar Sunshot
Australian Energy Minister Chris Bowen believes the federal government’s $1 billion Solar Sunshot initiative could result in domestic manufacturing providing 20% of the nation’s PV panel needs by the end of the decade.
CSIRO analysis reveals large-scale solar still cheapest electricity technology
The CSIRO GenCost report shows renewables remain the cheapest new build electricity technology in Australia, with utility-scale solar emerging as the golden child, despite inflationary pressures, supply chain constraints and costs associated with additional storage and transmission.
Federal government rejects Queensland solar project
The Australian government has knocked back a proposed 100 MW solar farm being developed amid coal-seam gas projects dotted across the Surat Basin in Queensland’s Western Downs region.
Genex awards Arup contract for Bulli Creek solar project
Genex Power has appointed UK-based engineering and design company Arup as owners’ engineer for the first stage of the Bulli Creek solar project that is set to become the biggest solar farm on Australia’s main grid once in operation.
Ausgrid backs community battery to boost network stability
New South Wales distributed network provider Ausgrid has powered up its third battery energy storage system under the federal government’s $200 million Community Batteries for Household Solar program.
Delays in energy transmission and generation projects trigger reliability warnings
The Australian Energy Market Operator has issued new warnings of potential breaches in the reliability standards for the National Electricity Market in coming years due to delays in key transmission projects and looming retirements of coal-fired generators.
Rooftop PV market faces profit squeeze as sales slow
Rooftop PV is the fourth largest source of electricity generation in Australia, providing about 11% of the country’s power supply, but solar industry analyst SunWiz has cautioned the market to brace for a challenging period.
AGA inks 3 GW electrolyser deal for NT green hydrogen project
North American hydrogen technology company Plug Power has agreed to supply up to 3 GW of electrolysers to Western Australian chemical company Allied Green Ammonia for a large-scale, renewables-based hydrogen and ammonia production project planned for the Northern Territory.
Weekend read: Perovskites move into production
Perovskites remain a great hope for the future of the solar industry, once the possibilities of tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) and heterojunction PV have been exhausted. A look at the latest perovskite research shows that industry optimism is built on a strong foundation.
