Installations

A major milestone was surpassed in the Australian PV market last month, indicating that the rooftop solar sector is in robust health. However, not tracked in the figures underlying the record are large commercial rooftops and distributed battery storage, and reports are that here too strong growth is being achieved.

Based on an exclusive memorandum of understanding, Australian EPC Decmil is poised to design and construct one of the largest solar projects in New South Wales. The company is in line for a $275 million engineering contract with Chinese group Maoneng in March next year.

Enphase has entered the Indian PV market, supplying 2,858 of its microinverters to a 1 MW commercial and industrial (C&I) rooftop project nearby to the city of Bangalore. The rooftop project sprawls over six roofs of an agriculture product processing facility.

What is being touted as Australia’s largest merchant PV power plant has signed grid connection and electricity transfer agreements with WA’s state-owned grid operator Western Power. Construction on the two-phase 128 MW(dc) project, to be located around 160km east of Perth, is set to get underway in early 2018.

European countries such as France, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain are all forecast to be gigawatt-scale markets in 2018. Globally, around 606 GW of new PV capacity is forecast to be installed between 2017 and 2022.

The proposed 6 GW wind+solar project would generate renewable energy from Australia’s wind and solar resources and supply it via subsea cables to Indonesia. Vestas has been confirmed for the wind energy side, while the search for a solar partner, which would deliver the required equipment for the project’s 2 GW solar PV capacity through establishing a manufacturing facility in Indonesia, will be conducted over the next two years.

The South Australian government has announced four energy storage projects, which will receive a financial backing of a total of AU$ 8 million.

Following the selection of Indigenous Business Australia (IBA) and Perth Noongar Foundation (PNF) as co-equity investors, Carnegie Clean Energy has announced that it readies to break ground on the WA’s first merchant utility solar project.

As part of a solar-wind hybrid renewable energy facility, the 20 MW White Rock Solar Farm has seen its first panels installed.

Sydney-based commercial rooftop solar specialists Todae Solar opened one of Australia’s largest rooftop PV array at Charles Sturt University’s Wagga Wagga campus this week. The multi-rooftop system comes in at 1.77 MW and will provide “an immediate financial benefit” to CSU.