Add electric vehicles, not bulk transmission, for a low-cost, clean grid: UC Berkeley study
A 90% clean grid with a transition to EVs would achieve lower electricity costs than one without, the study shows. Transmission investments would mainly be spur lines to new renewable generation.
Australia ‘in a league of its own’ with renewables potential, positioned to be ‘battery of the world,’ new report finds
Solar and wind could meet the global energy demand 100 times over, a new report from the Carbon Tracker Initiative has found. Australia, in particular, is uniquely positioned to capitalise on the transition as one of the few developed countries with vast renewable potential and a low population.
PV-powered desalination system for water-poor, sun-rich rural areas
Italian start-up Genius Watter has developed a solar desalination solution that is claimed to be particularly suitable for remote areas with no connection to grid electricity. The system is able to produce up to 1,000 cubic meters of potable water per day at an opex of €0.20 per cubic meter.
India’s state utility tenders 1 GW of solar capacity, private company tenders for module partners
Developers have until May 27 to submit bids for state-run power producer NTPC’s projects anywhere in India. In a separate development, company BHEL has issued a global tender seeking module supply partners for an aggregate 750 MW of panels.
Solar discrimination sees electricity retailer fined $300,000
Powershop has been fined $300,000 after Victoria’s Essential Services Commission found the energy retailer was offering solar customers more expensive electricity plans than non-solar customers.
Coles signs two major agreements after becoming final supermarket to switch to 100% renewables
After recently joining the rest of Australia’s supermarket chains by pledging to be 100% powered by renewables by 2025, Coles today announced it had signed power purchasing agreements with both Engie and Neoen.
Big battery market gets a leg up as rule maker proposes rewards for fast grid responses
The Australian Energy Market Commission, the country’s rule maker for electricity and gas markets, has this morning released proposals to reward fast frequency services in the National Electricity Market for the first time.
Global database for PV system performance
The database brings together photovoltaic performance data and meteorological values from PV systems located in all climate zones. It is being built by an international consortium including the Fraunhofer Centre for Silicon Photovoltaics CSP, and the Anhalt University of Applied Sciences.
Spotlight on Australian solar – what’s working, why, and where there’s room to grow
Company Solahart, which originated in Perth, has delivered a heartening snapshot of solar Australia. It found the country deploys renewable energy 10 times faster per capita than the global average, four times faster per capita than in Europe, China, Japan or the U.S.A. Solahart examined what motivates different demographics of Australians to install solar and which parts of the country are most suited to solar.
Tasmanian sheep farm installs flow battery-based microgrid system
Redflow’s Systems Integration Architect and largest shareholder has brought his work home, installing a 280kWh Redflow battery-based microgrid at his sheep farm in northwest Tasmania.
