Epho to construct Canberra’s first community solar farm
Canberra’s first community solar farm, the Majura Valley Community Solar Farm, is a step closer to reality after Epho signed on to design and construct the farm. The solar farm is the development project of SolarShare, a group of local community investors.
Sun Metals to build NQ’s first renewable hydrogen plant
The developer of Australia’s first utility-scale industrial solar project will now build North Queensland’s first renewable hydrogen facility at its zinc processing plant with the help of a $5 million Queensland government grant.
Grid connection approval for 720 MW solar farm coupled with massive battery
A massive solar+storage project nearby Uralla in the New England region of New South Wales has locked in a grid connection agreement with Transgrid.
NT Rooftop Solar in Schools rolls out as VIC looks to follow suit
The Northern Territory’s rollout of solar panel installation at 25 schools is picking up speed, and Victoria is looking to follow suit after announcing the application period open for its Greener Government School Buildings program following the success of a pilot program.
CER reports significant decline in potentially unsafe PV systems
A very small number of PV systems installed on Australian rooftops are considered to be potentially unsafe, the Clean Energy Regulator’s new report finds. Water entering DC isolators is identified as the greatest risk and the most common cause of PV system failures.
Risen Energy signs 150 MW Australian distribution agreement
Chinese module supplier and project developer Risen Energy has signed its largest distribution agreement in Australia with One Stop Warehouse looking to bring new products to the market, including its ultra-high-power 500 Wp+ solar modules.
Cleantech Solar secures Asia Pacific’s largest ever C&I green loan
Singapore-based commercial and industrial solar developer Cleantech Solar has secured a US$75 million in green finance from ING Bank, the Asia Pacific’s largest ever C&I solar green loan. As the world’s fastest growing electricity market, South East Asia is crying out for this kind of investment.
NSW Government fast-tracks 60MW Yanco Solar Farm
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian’s announcement of the third tranche of projects to have fast-tracked assessments as part of the state’s effort to boost the economy in response to the impact of Covid-19 includes the program’s first large-scale solar farm, the 72MW(DC)/60MW(AC) Yanco Solar Farm.
NSW first renewable energy zone attracts 27 GW of solar, wind and battery proposals
The New South Wales government’s plan to deliver a 3 GW renewable energy zone in the state’s Central-West has been met with overwhelming investor interest and project proposals valued at $38 billion. To support the development of the REZ, the state government has quadrupled its funding support, while ARENA has allocated funding for TransGrid’s scoping study that will deliver a business case of the Central-West Orana REZ and provide a template for a national approach.
People need to see the benefits from local renewable energy projects, and that means jobs
In the wake of Covid-19 it is more important than ever to accelerate Australia’s energy transition. Researchers find that the power of the fossil fuel sector, exercised at a grassroots level, must meet a compelling counterpart in the social benefits conferred by the renewables sector on local economies.
