Utility Scale PV

PV funding activity increased by 42% year-on-year in 2023, driven by strong growth in private market financing and debt financing, despite a decrease in the total number of deals, according to United States-headquartered consultancy Mercom Capital Group.

Mega-miner BHP has reportedly put a request for proposal out to energy suppliers seeking new wind, solar and battery energy storage capacity as it progresses plans to electrify and decarbonise its mining operations in Western Australia’s Pilbara region.

The Clean Energy Investor Group has warned that solar farms in southwest New South Wales and northwest Victoria could suffer from “large and unpredictable” swings in revenues because of material changes in marginal loss factors.

New Zealand renewables developer Lodestone Energy has received planning consent for three new large-scale solar farms on the country’s South Island as it continues the roll out of a PV strategy that it expects will deliver more than 500 GWh in solar generation.

Frontier Energy has revised its strategy for the first stage of the proposed Waroona Renewable Energy Project being developed in Western Australia’s southwest to include a four-hour 80 MW battery energy storage system in a move that is expected to have significantly better economics than solar alone.

The largest integrated off-grid solar and battery storage facility in Australia when it was deployed, the DeGrussa solar and battery hub in remote Western Australia has reached end of life with asset owner Neoen confirming it is now planning to remove the more than 34,000 solar panels and rehabilitate the site.

The largest solar farm yet built in Tasmania is now online with developer and asset owner Climate Capital confirming that its 4.95 MW Bell Bay Solar Farm is officially exporting renewable electricity to the grid.

Canadian renewable energy company Amp Energy will push ahead with plans to develop and build a green hydrogen project with up to 10 GW of electrolyser capacity in South Australia after extending its exclusive lead developer deal with Australian minerals company Iron Road.

Solar fences are beginning to gain traction in European and North American markets and now data provided by energy software service provider Gridcog suggests that vertical bifacial solar could be technically and economically viable in Australia.

The National Farmers’ Federation is calling on the federal government to expedite the public release of findings from a review into community engagement on renewables projects and energy infrastructure upgrades as it seeks to improve social licence during the transition to renewables.