Melbourne solar installers back to work as Covid-19 restrictions ease
Rooftop solar installation figures in Victoria have plunged dramatically in recent months but an easing of Covid-19 restrictions has provided a welcome boost for the state’s small-scale solar installers.
Construction underway at twin merchant solar farms in the Riverina
Photon Energy has commenced construction on two Australian solar farms which will deliver a combined capacity of 14 MW in the Riverina region of New South Wales.
X-Elio to build 200 MW Blue Grass project, signs PPA with Salesforce
Spanish solar EPC X-Elio has confirmed its arrival in the Australian market, announcing a “landmark” power purchase agreement for the output of the 200 MW Blue Grass solar farm in Queensland.
Floating solar plant with LCOE of $0.051/kWh comes online in Malaysia
The 13 MW array was deployed in the Selangor state on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia. The plant is selling power to local utility TNB under a 21-year PPA. The project’s levelized cost of energy is MYR 0.21608 ($0.051).
WA Affordability Experiment home applauded for innovation but limited in solar scope
In an effort to glean insights into the cost efficiency of sustainable housing, the Western Australian government in conjunction with private partners this week launched an Affordability Experiment home.
Vietnam opens 450 MW solar plant as utility-scale solar era dawns in SE Asia
Ho Chi Minh City-based construction company Trungnam Group said its army of labourers took just 45 days to perform site clearance for a project which took shape within 102 days. The 450 MW solar plant signals a new era in utility-scale solar for Vietnam, which is already seeing significant growth in its rooftop solar markets.
The weekend read: The plan to REZurrect Australia’s large-scale segment
Investment in large-scale solar appears to be faltering in Australia. The technology with the lowest cost, with no emissions and the fastest time to delivery, has often found itself dangling at the oversubscribed end of a limp transmission line, with additional, expensive requirements to connect, or earnings-slashing curtailments when operational. Investors have found no reassurance in the federal government’s winking at coal, courting of gas, and undermining of agencies established to support innovation and investment in renewables. In short, the Australian prime minister is showing a complete lack of urgency to act on climate change. Enter the Renewable Energy Zone.
WA Govt approves 15 GW Asian Renewable Energy Hub, whole project now expanded to 26 GW
The Western Australian Government has given environmental approval to the first stage of the Asian Renewable Energy Hub, a 15 GW hybrid solar and wind plant. The approval is a massive step forward for the project, which will eventually reach 26 GW, and an even larger step forward for green hydrogen development in Australia for domestic use and export.
ARENA helps fund project to demonstrate energy efficient housing at scale
The Australian Renewable Energy Agency is chipping in over $700,000 to help Frasers Property Australia build 51 energy efficient homes complete with a solar embedded network. The idea is to demonstrate to the wider housing sector that energy efficient homes can be built at scale and be cost-effective to the customer.
Solar Professionals completes Australia’s largest PPA rooftop project
The largest rooftop solar Power Price Agreement (PPA) installation yet undertaken in Australia has been completed with more 1,876 modules installed across Blacktown City Council facilities in Western Sydney.
