Installations

New PV capacity additions in Southeast Asia are expected to bounce back this year for the first time since 2020, according to the Asian Photovoltaic Industry Association. The market is expected to grow by 13% in 2023, for 3.8 GW of new installations.

As many as 60 renewable energy projects are expected to lodge environmental impact statements in New South Wales over the next 12 to 18 months. As the transition accelerates, the state’s new Energy Minister has told renewable proponents they must substantiate what’s in it for hosting communities.

Samsung and SMA are using a new cloud-to-cloud system that allows PV systems with SMA inverters to be integrated with Samsung heat pumps.

SolarEdge has released new optimisers for residential PV applications with a DC power rating of 500 W, a maximum efficiency of 99.5%, and a weighted efficiency of 98.6%. The optimiser for commercial and industrial applications offers 1.4 kW of rated DC power.

The world installed 239 GW of new solar capacity in 2022, according to SolarPower Europe. The rooftop PV segment accounted for 49.5% of additions – the highest share in the past three years. The rooftop sectors in Brazil, Italy, and Spain grew by 193%, 127%, and 105%, respectively.

Queensland project developer the Hydrogen Collective has announced it will have green hydrogen available for supply to commercial customers from late 2023 with construction to begin in the coming weeks on a solar-powered production facility to be built at Goondiwindi in the state’s southwest.

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.

Australian green hydrogen proponent Fortescue Future Industries and French renewables major Total Eren are among five project developers provided with exclusivity over land in the Northern Territory government’s Middle Arm Sustainable Development Precinct on Darwin Harbour.

The Queensland government has awarded two key contracts for what it says will be the largest pumped hydro energy project in the world, with the proposed 5 GW/120 GWh Pioneer-Burdekin pumped hydro energy storage system to form a cornerstone of the state’s energy transition.