Installations

Australian miner Element 25 has secured $2 million in capital to further advance its plans to mine manganese in the Pilbara for export. The key to the project is the utilisation of renewable energies to bring down the price and compete with Chinese suppliers.

Spanish developer Fotowatio Renewable Ventures (FRV) has signed its second power purchase agreement with the government-owned retailer Snowy Hydro for a solar project, which it bought from Germany’s Ib vogt.

The Australian Government’s “Economic Response to the Coronavirus” incentivises commercial and industrial solar PV uptake.

In welcome news for solar and wind developers in Australia, the network rule maker has decided to not to rush through changes to transmission access rules under the much-criticized Coordination of Generation and Transmission Investment (CoGATI) plan.

Trina Solar’s two new bifacial solar modules are touted as a “game changer,” not only for utility-scale projects, but for commercial and industrial developments as well. PV innovation continues to reduce costs and improve performance, but Australia’s outdated infrastructure is doing its best to slow the transition down.

Powering production of solar and wind infrastructure — panels, trackers, turbines, inverters — seems a gap just waiting to be filled in the clean-energy supply chain. Longi, the Chinese mega-manufacturer of solar wafers, cells and panels, has just joined RE100, a steadily growing list of companies committed to powering their operations with 100% renewable energy.

NSW has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 18% from 2005 levels, but mitigation has stabilised. This weekend, NSW Energy and Environment Minister Matthew Kean released the state plan for accelerating emissions reduction to 35% by 2030. It seeks to bring existing and new initiatives; Commonwealth and State funding; the Federal focus on technology and the undeniable benefits of solar and wind generation under a single umbrella.

The COVID-19 outbreak has disrupted the global PV supply chain. China, the largest manufacturing hub for solar products, has postponed factory openings in many regions, as it has been hit by logistical hiccups, staff shortages, and delivery delays. Manufacturers in some Chinese provinces are running under capacity, while those overseas are facing the same situation.

Many solar factories in China are starting to resume production, suggesting that concerns about supplies of PV components could soon begin to ease. Nevertheless, the temporary standstill will have an impact on the global solar market, as the implementation of some projects will probably be postponed until next year.

An ARENA-backed trial run by ACT network operator Evoenergy in partnership with French power electronics specialist Schneider Electric and Melbourne-based energy tech company GreenSync will research and test the effect that the integration of distributed energy resources is having on Canberra’s increasingly decentralized energy grid.