Installations

Distributed energy specialist CleanPeak Energy will install a combined 5.4 MW of PV systems atop biscuit manufacturer Arnott’s Group’s two biggest Australian production facilities. The deal will also deliver an energy service agreement for the front-of-meter power at the company’s Huntingwood site in western Sydney as it looks to transition to 100% renewable electricity across its operations.

Chinese researchers have assessed the impact of residential rooftop PV arrays on energy use and surrounding air temperatures during extreme heatwaves. They found that panels with higher conversion efficiencies achieved the best results.

Researchers led by Germany’s TÜV Rheinland have created a database of technical risks and mitigation measures for PV installations. Their broad overview of quantification methods has shown that further standardization is required.

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) says that solar could become the backbone of Indonesia’s energy system by 2030. However, the nation’s own expectations are still far off from IRENA’s scenarios.

The Australian arm of Philippines-based clean energy company ACEN Corporation has pressed go on the 400 MW Stubbo Solar Farm to be built near Dubbo in the New South Wales central west.

Australian electricity retailer Flow Power has officially entered the Queensland market, inking an offtake deal with German-owned renewable energy developer Wirsol Energy for 30 MW of clean electricity generated at the 89 MW Clermont Solar Farm.

The New South Wales government has formally declared the state’s third Renewable Energy Zone (REZ). The South West REZ, as its called, is centred around the towns of Hay and Balranald in the state’s western Riverina region, with initial expressions of interest in the zone attracting up to 34 GW of generation proposals – more than 13 times the intended capacity of 2.5 GW.

Australian headquartered mining giant BHP has signed a 70 MW baseload renewable energy contract with Neoen to meet 50% of its Olympic Dam mine operations in South Australia.

US-based Erthos announced a 14 MW portfolio of earth-mount solar PV projects under contract along with a memorandum of understanding for a 107 MW project.

Australia’s two dominant tracker companies, Nextracker and Array Technologies, are launching terrain following products which the companies claim mitigate, sometimes even eliminate, the need for earthworks on site, opening up a host of previously unsuitable land for solar. Nextracker has just completed its first terrain-following project in Australia, with Array Technologies’ line set for delivery in the second half of 2023.