Rooftop solar capacity in 2024 Australia tracking to 3.2 GW record: regulator
The Clean Energy Regulator’s quarterly carbon market report finds rooftop solar capacity in 2024 is likely to have been about 3.2 GW and could set an Australian record.
New 13 MW New Zealand-based solar farm goes live near south Auckland
Aotearoa New Zealand utility-scale solar developer Kiwi Solar has announced its 13 MW Ardmore Solar Farm near South Auckland is now live, after a 5.5 month construction period.
Remote Papua New Guinea Kokoda Trail school installs solar powered mini-grid
A remote high school in Papua New Guinea has installed a solar powered mini-grid to classrooms and schoolground infrastructure such as a solar water pump and solar powered irrigation system, with the support of an Australian government off-grid renewable energy in the Pacific program.
Solar panel installation costs remain near all-time lows: Solar Choice
The March 2025 Solar Choice Price Index shows solar panel prices per watt nationwide, except in Tasmania, continue to follow a trend since December 2020 of remaining below the $1 mark, and currently sit at $0.90 per watt.
NT solar centre data feeds ultra-short-term PV forecasting method
Scientists utilising data gathered at the Northern Territory’s Desert Knowledge Australia Solar Centre have created a novel probabilistic model for five-minutes ahead PV power forecasting. The method combines a convolutional neural network with bidirectional long short-term memory, attention mechanism, and natural gradient boosting.
Global solar installations could reach 1 TW next year
BloombergNEF reports the world installed nearly 600 GW of solar power in 2024, closely aligning with projections that annual global solar installations will surpass 1 TW within the next few years. Although projections for 2025 currently fall short of that pace, early forecasts often underestimate actual deployment.
Endeavour Energy plans rollout of community batteries in Illawarra region
New South Wales distribution network operator Endeavour Energy will install four community batteries on council land in the Wollongong region, with a further 13 suitable sites identified across the Illawarra.
Aotearoa New Zealand’s solar generation reaches all time high
New Zealand’s Electricity Authority Te Mana Hiko has reported the country’s solar generation reached an all-time high in March of 128 MW but say that’s likely to be surpassed when three new large-scale farms come online during 2025.
Viridian Solar launches 23.6% efficient TOPCon BIPV panel
United Kingdom-based manufacturer Viridian Solar says the new modules have a rated power output of 445 W and can reportedly guarantee a power yield of 95% after 10 years.
Commercial segment surges as residential rooftop backs off
Australia’s solar rollout continues to reach new heights with a combined total of 4.7 GW of small- and large-scale PV installed across the country in 2024 but shifts in the rooftop market suggests diversification of services will be key for the nation’s installer community going forward.
