Installations

Although the International Energy Agency’s latest renewables report forecasts impressive solar growth there is still a nagging feeling it has produced conservative estimates and the emphasis on sharing costs with grid operators is predictable.

One of the world’s largest solar cell and PV module manufacturers, South Korea-headquartered Q Cells zealously guards its Tier 1 status, its reputation for quality, and its IP based on 20 years of research and development. Key Account Director Myungsin Shim muses on the future of PV in Australia, and a raft of new Hanwha offerings about to hit the market.

On the back of a landmark agreement with Alinta Energy, Fortescue Metals will use solar power for up to 100% of its daytime energy needs at the Chichester Hub iron ore operation in the Pilbara region.

In a single month Banyule City Council in the north-eastern suburbs of Melbourne has rattled off a Climate Action Package for net-zero emissions by 2028, declared a climate emergency and joined other local governments in a Solar Savers program.

Pacific Hydro’s Haughton Solar Farm in Queensland has signed an innovative network support agreement with Stanwell Corporation (Stanwell), a QLD government-owned corporation and the largest electricity generator in the state.

Thor actor Chris Hemsworth has used his experience harnessing electricity from the clouds to harness electricity from the sun with the installation of hundreds of solar panels on the rooftop of his $20 million Byron Bay mansion.

Not just a haven for shoals, Shoalhaven is rapidly becoming a haven for solar PV too as the region pushes ahead to its renewable energy goals with a large rooftop installation on the Shoalhaven Entertainment Centre.

The building-sized trucks run on diesel and prompt logistical complications as large amounts of diesel must be shipped to remote mining sites. Attempts to decarbonize the mining sector will have to consider the heavy-duty vehicles.

Over the last decade, materials giant DuPont has surveyed more than 2 GW of PV installations and analyzed a range of failure types and their causes. Hong-Jie Hu, DuPont’s solar technical and development lead in China, says that the company is looking for Australian partners for its Global Field Survey program – with a particular interest in hot and humid and desert environments.

The first rows of solar panels have been laid on the roof of the Main Assembly Building at Tonsley Innovation District. The 2.34 MW solar array will ultimately work in conjunction with on-site battery storage and smart technologies as part of South Australia’s first district energy scheme.