255 MW Sunraysia Solar Farm nears completion
UNSW Sydney has excitedly announced the near completion of the Sunraysia Solar Farm in Balranald, NSW. With the project set to be operational by the end of the year, and with 25% of the solar farm’s generation to be purchased by UNSW, the university is set to run on 100% renewable energy from 2020.
Victorian protests over solar rebate woes to continue this week
The Smart Energy Council has announced plans for a second rally to warn against the current Solar Homes scheme’s damaging effect on Victoria’s solar industry. This time, the protest will target Premier Daniel Andrews’ office.
ESCO Pacific’s 70 MW NSW solar project gets connection go-ahead
The Australian utility-scale solar developer has reached the final development milestone on a solar and battery project near West Wyalong in the Riverina region.
Lightsource BP proposes 100 MW solar farm near Mannum
U.K. solar developer Lightsource BP will host a community information event in Mannum, to outline its proposal to fund, build and operate a 100 MW solar project.
Australia’s state of virtual power play
With around 16 battery-based virtual-power-plant projects either in progress or planned across six states, Australia is demonstrating the potential of distributed energy resources to the world. An Australian Clean Energy Summit panel last week caught up on progress and potholes on the road to energy’s new two-way street.
CleanPeak expands its solar shopping-centre portfolio with acquisition of ReNu
On Friday, ReNu Energy signed an agreement for the sale of its solar assets, including Shopping Centres Australasia arrays, to commercial-rooftop-solar startup CleanPeak Energy.
Photon Energy sells 25% stake in NSW solar project to Canadian Solar
Chinese module maker and project developer Canadian Solar has acquired another 25% share in the 189 MWp Suntop Solar Farm from Photon Energy and increased its stake to 76%. The balance of shares is held by Sydney-based Polpo Investment.
Rule change to enhance transparency of new projects and ease grid congestion
With more than 50 GW of new wind and solar projects in the development pipeline, the Australian Energy Market Commission is looking to give developers more detailed and up-to-date information about new generation projects. The new draft rule may help businesses make better investment decisions on where to locate new generators and assess project viability.
Portuguese auction attracts world record bid of €14.8/MWh for solar
The stunning low tariff is a third world record in five weeks. Solar prices continue to tumble and with a Saudi auction concluding tomorrow, the Iberian benchmark could be short-lived. The official result of the Portuguese tender will be announced August 10.
Happy feet as solar powers Phillip Island Nature Parks’ new visitor center
Phillip Island Nature Parks, which manages the fairy penguin’s habitat on the island, has built a new visitor centre powered by solar energy. The 200 kW system installed by Gipplsand Solar is featuring Trina modules coupled with Fronius inverters.
