Missteps, monster solar farms and hangovers: solar’s 2022 in review
Last year was a tricky one for solar, with each segment from residential to commercial to utility behaving quite differently. The industry trends have been laid out in Sunwiz’s latest Australian PV Report and pv magazine Australia takes a dive into what happened and what there is to learn.
MPower acquires Faraday solar project in Victoria as it grows its mid-scale play
Australian renewable energy developer MPower has acquired the shovel-ready 5 MW Faraday solar project in Victoria. The purchase is part of the company’s broad mid-scale strategy.
Acen Renewables starts building 360 MW of utility-scale solar in Philippines
Acen Renewables, a Manila-based developer, is building two solar plants in the provinces of Pangasinan and Zambales.
Indian coal miner commissions utility-scale floating PV array
Singareni Collieries Co. Ltd. (SCCL) has commissioned 5 MW of a 15 MW floating solar plant on the Singareni Thermal Power Station reservoir in India.
Renewable energy generation hits record levels in Australia
Renewable energy generation provided a record high proportion of Australia’s electricity mix in the final three months of 2022, supplying on average more than 40% of power in the nation’s main grid, eclipsing the previous record of 35.8% set in the same period the previous year.
Indonesian utility kicks off tender for 100 MW floating solar plant
PT PLN Nusantara Power has launched a tender for a floating PV project that will likely be built at a dam on the island of Java, Indonesia.
4.3 GW of generation and storage makes shortlist in NSW renewables auction
Sixteen projects representing more than 4.3 GW of large-scale generation and long-duration storage have been shortlisted as part of the first of a rolling schedule of competitive tenders designed to ensure New South Wales’ successful transition from coal-fired power generation to a renewables-based energy system.
Evergen to test DER optimisation technology in Japanese setting
Australian energy software provider Evergen will take its solar and battery optimisation technology to Japan after teaming with Japanese companies Sharing Energy and Sassor on a pilot project to explore how to best commercialise distributed energy resources, including rooftop solar and residential battery energy storage systems, in Japan.
Perovskite PV tipped to become competitive in rooftop segment
Scientists from Australia are among an international team of researchers that predict lightweight, high-performance perovskite solar modules could soon become competitive with crystalline PV modules in the residential segment, as such products will likely have lower manufacturing and balance-of-system costs in the future.
New digital solar tool launches promising to save customers from aggressive sales tactics
Australian climate tech platform Acacia will launch a new solar feature enabling customers to get a digital solar quote, as well as estimated financial and carbon savings, without speaking to any sales people. The company says the tool is in response to what are often poor buying experiences in the solar sector.
