Utility Scale PV

More than 200 entries from across 39 countries made up the field for the pv magazine Awards 2023 and there was genuine innovation on display in all categories. Significant demands have been placed on the solar and energy storage industries in 2023, but that hasn’t stopped the sector from making great leaps in performance. The winners of the pv magazine Awards 2023 serve as shining examples of what can be achieved through a continuous improvement philosophy.

The Australian arm of French renewables player Neoen is set to start the construction of its largest solar farm in New South Wales – and the second biggest in its global portfolio – pressing go on the 350 MW Culcairn Solar Farm being developed in the state’s south.

Western Australia utility Western Power has commenced the rollout of a $28 million (USD 19 million) works package to manage the capacity of key distribution feeders in the state’s main electricity network and unlock new renewable energy generation opportunities.

Renewables developer Enel Green Power Australia has confirmed that its 27 MW Cohuna Solar Farm in northern Victoria has resumed partial operations after being forced to shut down following a grassfire at the site last month.

The latest estimates of electricity generation costs in Australia reveal that solar and wind power remain the cheapest form of energy, even after the expense of integrating them into the grid is factored in.

Australian renewable energy company Frontier Energy has completed its acquisition of Canadian firm Waroona Energy. The companies own neighbouring large-scale solar projects in Western Australia’s southwest and intend to join forces to create the state’s largest vertically integrated renewable energy hub.

The New South Wales government has formalised its decision to double the size of Australia’s first coordinated renewable energy zone, boosting its capacity to 6 GW of solar, wind and storage in a move designed to better cater for the state’s future energy as it transitions from coal and gas to a renewables-based grid.

The Australian arm of Swedish renewables heavyweight OX2 will develop a new 25 MW solar farm in the New South Wales Riverina district after signing a long-term power purchase agreement with data centre firm AirTrunk and global tech giant Google.

Scientists in Czechia have proposed to use parallel inverters in PV systems to not only reduce instability, but also to increase power yield. The proposed approach reportedly results in higher maximum power point tracking (MPPT) performance.

Five energy infrastructure projects representing 750 MW of renewable energy generation and 524 MW/4,192 MWh of long-duration storage have been successful to the New South Wales government’s latest tender round as it prepares for the exit of coal-fired power generation from the state’s electricity grid.