Utility Scale PV

Queensland’s Darling Downs region is set for its second large-scale solar project to gain grid connection in a matter of months as Risen Energy’s 100 MW Yarranlea Solar Farm connects to the grid for its staging procedures.

Australia’s utility-scale renewable energy sector is set for a record year with 3.6 GW of projects expected to complete commissioning in 2020, Rystad Energy finds. This comprises 1.96 GW in utility PV projects and 1.57 GW in wind developments, with the remaining 0.1 GW coming from batteries.

Investment in Australian renewable energy capacity fell 40% in 2019 down from record-breaking levels seen in the year before, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF). Spending on large-scale renewables dropped dramatically due to network woes and long-term policy uncertainty but was ameliorated by the rooftop solar segment’s record growth.

A study from Finland’s Lappeenranta University of Technology has predicted solar and other renewables can provide a global energy jobs revolution – just as four European operations revealed recent struggles.

Renewables developer MPower has commenced work on two 5 MW solar farms in South Australia expanding its portfolio of smaller utility-scale projects.

The Dutch water management agency plans to install solar panels along both sides of the A37 highway in Drenthe province, as well as on the median strip, to cover 300 hectares in total. The project is part of a plan to build projects on state land, as the domestic PV industry continues to search for alternative surfaces on which to deploy solar.

Abu Dhabi-based renewable energy group Masdar is sailing into the southeast Asian market with its, and Indonesia’s, first floating solar power plant. The project is to be the largest of its kind in South East Asia.

Spanish utility Iberdrola is investing $500 million in a massive hybrid renewable energy project in South Australia. The funding will pave the way for the landmark project developed by DP Energy to proceed following a significant delay.

Chinese PV module manufacturer Risen Energy is nearing completing on its second utility-scale solar project in Australia, the 132 MW Merredin Solar Farm. Risen’s swift meeting of deadlines suggests the achievement of its ambitious 2 GW goal for renewable investment in Australia is only a matter of time.

Esperance has a new green deal for the supply of its electricity until 2042. The agreement, which commences in 2022, seeks to cut carbon emissions and features a new a battery storage system and renewables hub complete with solar farm.