Installations

An International Energy Agency report led up by Rolf Frischknecht from Treeze in Switzerland and under the joint project management of the University of New South Wales’ José Bilbao has measured the lifecycle emissions of both residential solar PV with battery storage and gas-generated grid electricity. The results are not particularly surprising, only the Morrison Government’s ongoing obduracy is.

A utility-scale “integrated agri-solar” farm proposed in southern New South Wales has begun its public exhibition period.

Officeworks jumped on the bandwagon of businesses in Australia committing to 100% renewable electricity in the next five years. Both Bunnings and Officeworks announced their plans in the last week, sparking calls for Target and Kmart, which are also in the Wesfarmers portfolio, to follow suit.

230 Northern Territory businesses have already received their vouchers for Australia’s most generous energy storage subsidity, the NT’s Home and Business Battery Scheme. The scheme, which is still open for applications until November 30, offers grants of $6,00 to homeowners and business owners to install solar and battery storage, or complement an existing solar system with a battery.

South African scientists have used a PV system to keep tomatoes in cold storage. They linked an air-cooling system and evaporative cooling tech to a 3.5 kW array and 12 batteries and tested it for 28 days in September.

The winners of the Clean Energy Council’s 2020 solar design and installation awards announced today have been applauded as stunning examples of the innovative solutions being deployed in the commercial rooftop solar sector (C&I) as more businesses look to reap the benefits of solar.

Victorian utility North East Water have constructed a mini-solar farm over the carpark of their Wodonga headquarters. The 132 kW system is expected to provide half of the building’s energy use, with 330 modules generating 500kW per day in addition to the headquarter’s existing rooftop PV array.

Australia’s largest free-range chicken farm switched on one of the biggest solar plus energy storage system’s of any commercial farm in the country this week. With 1.4 MW of rooftop solar combining with 2.28 MWh of energy storage via 5 Tesla lithium-ion batteries, the farm is excited to save enormous amounts on its energy bill and its emissions. Winner, winner!

Construction of South Australia’s biggest solar farm, and the state’s fifth “big” battery will provide 810 jobs and a $41 million boost to the economy around Whyalla. The Marshall Government buys in and forecasts a $12.8 million saving on its energy expenditure over the term of its 10-year energy contract.

South Australia has done some hard yards in pursuing the transition to green energy, integrating 50% renewable generation into its grid, and advancing the management of a vast fleet of distributed rooftop energy resources. Now it’s seeking investors to continue the renewable buildout beyond its own requirements and potentially fuel the world with green hydrogen.