Installations

Three renewable energy generators in northern Queensland are facing major constraints due to system strength issues.

Chinese manufacturer Risen Energy will supply Malaysia’s Tokai Engineering with 20 MW of its new panels, unveiled in December. Risen claims its products can help reduce balance-of-system project costs by 9.6% and the levelized cost of energy by 6%.

Byron Bay’s Smart Energy is seeing an unprecedented surge in sales and enquiries of solar and home storage as consumers look to shore themselves up in uncertain times.

Australian miner Element 25 has secured $2 million in capital to further advance its plans to mine manganese in the Pilbara for export. The key to the project is the utilisation of renewable energies to bring down the price and compete with Chinese suppliers.

Spanish developer Fotowatio Renewable Ventures (FRV) has signed its second power purchase agreement with the government-owned retailer Snowy Hydro for a solar project, which it bought from Germany’s Ib vogt.

The Australian Government’s “Economic Response to the Coronavirus” incentivises commercial and industrial solar PV uptake.

In welcome news for solar and wind developers in Australia, the network rule maker has decided to not to rush through changes to transmission access rules under the much-criticized Coordination of Generation and Transmission Investment (CoGATI) plan.

Trina Solar’s two new bifacial solar modules are touted as a “game changer,” not only for utility-scale projects, but for commercial and industrial developments as well. PV innovation continues to reduce costs and improve performance, but Australia’s outdated infrastructure is doing its best to slow the transition down.

Powering production of solar and wind infrastructure — panels, trackers, turbines, inverters — seems a gap just waiting to be filled in the clean-energy supply chain. Longi, the Chinese mega-manufacturer of solar wafers, cells and panels, has just joined RE100, a steadily growing list of companies committed to powering their operations with 100% renewable energy.

NSW has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 18% from 2005 levels, but mitigation has stabilised. This weekend, NSW Energy and Environment Minister Matthew Kean released the state plan for accelerating emissions reduction to 35% by 2030. It seeks to bring existing and new initiatives; Commonwealth and State funding; the Federal focus on technology and the undeniable benefits of solar and wind generation under a single umbrella.