Utility Scale PV

Although the International Energy Agency’s latest renewables report forecasts impressive solar growth there is still a nagging feeling it has produced conservative estimates and the emphasis on sharing costs with grid operators is predictable.

Pacific Hydro’s Haughton Solar Farm in Queensland has signed an innovative network support agreement with Stanwell Corporation (Stanwell), a QLD government-owned corporation and the largest electricity generator in the state.

Over the last decade, materials giant DuPont has surveyed more than 2 GW of PV installations and analyzed a range of failure types and their causes. Hong-Jie Hu, DuPont’s solar technical and development lead in China, says that the company is looking for Australian partners for its Global Field Survey program – with a particular interest in hot and humid and desert environments.

Solar infrastructure developer Lyon Group has strengthened its ties in the Asian markets through a significant joint-venture with two of Asia’s largest energy generators. The agreement will see integrated battery storage systems utilised to reduce the risk of curtailment and increase the flexibility of renewable energy plants.

A global supplier of electrical cabling for utility scale PV projects has warned that some Australian EPCs are not adopting international solar-industry norms on projects, potentially leading to “massive risk.” Swiss supplier Leoni reports that considering the vast scale of some solar projects in Australia that potential failures could be particularly costly.

Shared grid connections, complimentary resource availability, and more grid-friendly power are among the key advantages of pairing wind farms with solar arrays – and developers are quickly moving into the emerging space.

Single-axis tracker deployment has increased dramatically in the past two-to-three years, both in terms of the number of PV plants adopting the technology and the sheer size of some tracking systems. Given this, durability in the face of high wind loads has been brought into sharp focus with new testing and calculation methods providing more certainty for EPCs, owners and investors.

Lord Howe Island is set to finally receive a solution to its energy problems with the installation of a solar + battery storage system that will reduce its reliance on diesel fuel.

The Clean Energy Council (CEC) will host its first Clean Energy Open Day at Wind and Solar farms across five states on Sunday 27 October. The Open Day is the perfect opportunity for those curious about renewable energies and the energy transition, or simply those on the hunt for a good sausage sizzle.

A massive green hydrogen production project has been unveiled for Western Australia with Siemens on board as technology partner. The project location is touted as Australia’s best for combined solar and wind generation potential.