Installations

A 962 kW rooftop solar system installed atop building materials manufacturer Etex Australia’s facility at Matraville in New South Wales is expected to satisfy almost 20% of the plant’s energy demand, delivering a return on investment inside three years.

Ark Energy has confirmed the development application for a 500 MW solar farm and 2,200 MWh battery energy storage system planned for northern New South Wales has been lodged with the state planning department.

Less than six months after site works commenced for a 5 MW solar project near Narromine in western New South Wales, developer MPower has announced that the power plant has achieved commercial operations and commenced generating revenue.

Access to rooftop solar in Western Australia has received a boost with state-owned energy provider Horizon Power expanding the reach of an internet-connected energy management project that promises to help balance energy flows on regional microgrids.

Growth in Australia’s renewable energy sector is strong with 43 GW of new utility scale generation and storage projects working through the National Electricity Market connection process but concerns remain that uncertainties surrounding approval processes could impact investor confidence.

A 30 kW solar array featuring GoodWe’s lightweight Galaxy series solar panels has been ‘glued’ atop a six-storey residential building on Queensland’s Gold Coast to provide a no-penetration solution that preserves the integrity of the rooftop.

Global tracker shipments reached 92 GWdc last year, according to WoodMackenzies’ latest report, with three United States-based manufacturers, Nextracker, Array Technologies and GameChange Solar, ranking as the three largest shippers in the world.

As bifacial modules proliferate, estimations of albedo are becoming more important and with developers not prepared to install weather stations to assess solar resource, a popular option has become third-party, on-site measurements over periods as short as a day. Is this an acceptable compromise between costly on-site measuring and less accurate satellite data? Everoze’s Stefan Mau discusses the potential benefits and limitations of this approach.

Mining giant Fortescue Metals Group has begun commissioning its 100 MW solar farm at the North Star Junction south of Port Hedland in Western Australia, as the company progresses toward a target of real zero by 2030.

South Australian company Accolade Wines has entered into a power purchase agreement for its Berri Estates facility with gentailer Origin Zero that will own, operate and maintain a rooftop solar array of 4,800 panels at the regional site.