Utility Scale PV

Australia’s large-scale solar farms generated a near-record 1,463 GWh of clean energy during the month of January, just shy of the 1,509 GWh produced in December, according to the latest data from international consultancy firm Rystad Energy.

Lightsource bp and ‘gen-tailer’ Contract Energy’s plans to build up to 380 GWh of annual generation of grid-scale PV in New Zealand by 2026 are now in motion with the companies chosen to develop what will be one of the nation’s largest solar farms on the South Island.

Modular solar array manufacturer 5B will work with researchers from the University of Sydney to optimise the design of large-scale solar farms in a bid to minimise temperature-induced panel efficiency losses. The research project secured funding support in the latest round of the Australian Research Council’s Linkage Project Grants program.

Solar and storage analyst Sunwiz is predicting an inversion of many of the trends that dominated the industry in 2022. While rooftop solar has bounced back after a disappointing year, Sunwiz founder Warwick Johnston tells pv magazine Australia, the utility segment’s position looks dire.

New Zealand government-owned Genesis Energy and renewables partner FRV Australia have purchased an advanced 52 MW agrivoltaic solar project on New Zealand’s South Island. If the project meets its 2024 operational target as anticipated, it will be the country’s first utility-scale solar farm.

Australian modular solar manufacturer 5B’s rapidly deployable Maverick technology is to be installed as part of a 95 MW hybrid power plant featuring solar, wind and battery energy storage. The plant will help power Liontown Resources’ Kathleen Valley Lithium Project being developed in the Goldfields region of Western Australia

United States-based solar tracker provider Array Technologies is planning to set up manufacturing operations in Australia after being awarded a contract to supply trackers for a 102 MW solar farm being developed in Victoria’s northeast.

Queensland government-owned CS Energy has inked its first 100% renewable energy contract in a move that the state government says highlights the accelerating transformation of the utility’s generation fleet from fossil-fuel fired power plants to renewable sources, including wind and solar.

The New England and Stubbo solar farms in regional New South Wales are now 100% owned by ACEN after the Philippines-based energy company, through its subsidiary ACEN Renewables International, completed its acquisition of the development platform UPC/AC Renewables Australia.

Australian renewable hydrogen company Infinite Green Energy is targeting first commercial-scale production of green hydrogen by the end of 2024 after finalising the $8 million (USD 5.65 million) acquisition of an 11 MW solar farm in Western Australia and penning its first offtake agreement for the project.