Installations

Quality assurance and testing of solar farms is vital worldwide, but particularly in Australia where projects tend to be bigger and the climate more severe. Hugo Silva, Global Sales Manager at Enertis Applus+, takes a look at the different stages of testing and why they are an investment that will yield returns.

Queensland government-owned generator Stanwell Energy and Spanish renewable energy company Acciona Energia have signed a Memorandum of Understanding which could see energy generated at the proposed 600 MWp Aldoga Solar Farm power a 3 GW green hydrogen project being developed near Gladstone on the central Queensland coast.

Western Australia has today announced the launch of its $35.5 million Virtual Power Plant trial, Project Symphony, which will examine the ways in which residents, utilities, and network operators can join forces to centrally orchestrate the output of rooftop solar, batteries and other distributed resources to best serve both customers and the grid at large.

Melbourne-based company Green Peak Energy has attracted the backing of one of the world’s largest investment firms, CBRE Investment Management. While deal’s details remain confidential, the Australian company, which focuses on operating renewable systems in the C&I segment and providing power purchasing agreements (PPAs), described the agreement as an endorsement of the problem it set out to solve.

Fotowatio Renewable Ventures Australia’s 90 MW (AC) solar farm outside Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, has reached the commissioning phase after less than a year of construction. Barring no obstacles, the project should start exporting solar energy to the grid in a matter of months.

Western Australia has become the second state to give network operators the capacity to remotely switch off residential solar systems as an emergency grid stability mechanism.

The new plan would require the deployment of around 15 GW of new PV capacity each year to 2030. The agreement also includes the gradual phasing out of all coal power plants by the end of the decade.

The developers of a $5 million community-driven solar farm in the New South Wales Shoalhaven region believe the 3.9 MWp facility can serve as a model for other communities looking to launch their own renewable projects.

The 41 MW facility was built by Korean developer Scotra with solar modules provided by South Korea-based manufacturer Hanwha Q-Cells. It was deployed on a water reservoir at the Hapcheon dam, in the South Gyeongsang province.

Independent battery performance and reliability tester ITP Renewables has been running its trial of solar storage batteries since 2016. Over the years one of the broad conclusions to be drawn is that home storage systems are by no means reliable across the board. However, some few systems stand out, including Fimer’s hybrid solar inverter and storage solution, the React 2.