Regulator ramps up inspections as solar battery installations surge
Solar battery installers have been warned to “do it once and do it well” as the number of batteries installed across Australia under the federal government’s Cheaper Home Batteries Program surges past the 250,000 milestone, delivering a combined 6.3 GWh of capacity.
Construction begins on Hunter REZ transmission project
Construction has officially commenced on a network upgrade in the New South Wales Upper Hunter that is to boost transfer capacity in the region by at least 1 GW by 2028 in support of the state’s renewable energy transition.
Growatt debuts high-voltage battery for residential, small C&I solar
The APX HV Battery 2.0 supports 5–30 kWh capacities and up to 15 kW of output. The IP66-rated system features a stacked, cable-free design.
Printed solar manufacturer lands $2.15 million grant
Kardinia Energy has received a federal grant worth $2.15 million to help scale production of its Newcastle-based printed solar technology.
CER projects up to 12 GWh capacity from 520,000 home batteries in 2026
In 2026, the Clean Energy Regulator forecasts that up to 12 GWh of storage from a potential 520,000 residential battery installations will occur, and rooftop solar will rebound from 2.8 GW in 2025 to between 3-3.7 GW.
Ausgrid launches new community battery to support solar
New South Wales electricity distributor Ausgrid has added another centralised community battery to its portfolio, powering up a combined 10 MW energy storage system in the southwest Sydney suburb of Bankstown.
CSIRO launches $3 million upgrade to renewable energy research lab
Australia’s national science agency has launched a major revamp of its renewable energy research facility in Newcastle to provide new capacity for researchers and industry to test how technologies such as solar, wind, batteries and electric vehicles can integrate reliably into the grid.
New method offers low-cost solution for improving PV system performance
An Australian research team has developed a five-step, rule-based method that detects and classifies underperformance in PV systems using only AC-side inverter data. Validated across more than 1,000 systems, the approach offers a low-cost, low-intervention solution for improving reliability, fault response, and PV system performance.
Residential batteries boom in Victorian regional city
The regional Victorian city of Bendigo has outpaced Melbourne for its uptake of residential batteries under the federal government’s Cheaper Home Batteries program.
Global-warming-induced degradation could raise rooftop solar LCOE by up to 20%
A global study finds climate change will sharply increase high-temperature risks, accelerate degradation, and raise costs for rooftop PV, with economically disadvantaged regions hit hardest. Researchers warn current IEC standards underestimate future risks, urging urgent updates to avoid stranded assets and rising electricity costs.
