Installations

China-headquartered smart solutions company Leapting’s specialised robots are helping speed up the installation of Neoen’s Culcairn solar farm in New South Wales, which the company says reduces labour intensity and mitigates construction safety risks.

University of New South Wales’ researchers using artificial intelligence to aid analysis of solar cell degradation, developing innovative green ammonia production and an end-of-life electric vehicle battery solution are recipients of commercialisation grants.

Robots on solar sites are not new; they have been deployed to automate everything from operations and maintenance to inspection and cleaning. In recent months, there has been an uptick in interest in robots for installation, particularly among utility-scale solar developers dealing with staff shortages, safety concerns, rising costs, and pressure to build.

Fortescue Metals Group has submitted a proposal to the Environment Protection Authority for approval of its proposed 644 MW Turner River solar hub near Port Hedland to power iron ore mining operations.

Victoria’s 2035 renewables target is forecast to require 27 million solar panels raising concerns over end-of-life management, with a government modelling forecast that tonnages of photovoltaic system e-waste will increase around 20% per annum over the next decade.

Brisbane e-waste to solar technology company PowerWells has supported a collaboration helping women in a remote Vanuatu village to end their energy poverty, with the ongoing installation of solar systems on 115 dwellings.

Zen Energy has signed an agreement with its ZEBRE partner Taiwan-headquartered clean power developer Hongde Energy for the development rights to multiple big battery and solar farm projects in three states.

An international research team studied the solar PV impact of emissions from a coal-fired power plant in the Atacama Desert, Chile finding that after five months of exposure, the deposited dust on co-located PV panels reached a maximum of 1.63 mg/cm2 with a 23 % reduction in photocurrent. The accumulation at the co-located plant was 3 times greater than nearby PV sites with similar coastal climate conditions.

Solar energy solutions companies, GoodWe and Six Star Plus, have teamed up with electrical wholesaler AWM Greentech Clayton to install an 8.4 kW solar system in support of a Victorian wildlife rescue operation.

Battery subsidies are absent from the 2025-26 Federal Budget, but industry organisations are committed to pushing government forward to support the rollout of household batteries backed by local manufacturing.