Utility Scale PV

At nine solar farms and counting, FRV Australia, a wholly owned subsidiary of Saudi and UAE-based Abdul Latif Jameel, has the experience and commitment to local development to bring difficult projects to fruition. Walla Walla Solar farm adds a whopping 300 MW to the renewable capacity of NSW, and its size and siting have required particular attention to concerns raised in the agricultural Riverina district.

It makes sense that the Hunter-Central Coast, with its energy infrastructure, heavy industries and transitioning workforces should turn its resources and assets toward renewable generation. As NSW celebrates the passing of the NSW Liberal Coalition’s foresightful bill, the Hunter region is settling into its new place on the REZ map.

Western Australian utility Horizon Power will build the nation’s first remote microgrid using renewable hydrogen generation at Denham, in the state’s northwest, having secured the support of the Australian Renewable Energy Agency.

Australia is positioned to become a renewable energy “superpower” with multinational consultancy Ernst & Young (EY) suggesting the nation’s green hydrogen and solar energy export plans have it well placed to take advantage of a growing market.

A new Wood Mackenzie report has forecasted a massive swing in the levelised cost of electricity across the Asia-Pacific over the course o the next decade. Before 2030, renewables will be cheaper than new coal and gas almost everywhere, and significantly cheaper in Australia.

Researchers in New Zealand have developed a new methodology for solar park planning that considers clear-sky radiation for voltage stability analysis. It is based on two different generation profiles for separate purposes.

Spanish tracker giant STI Norland has expanded to Australia with a new subsidiary office in Melbourne. The company is arriving on our shores with a keenness to compete with tracker suppliers who already have their foot in the door. With no solar farm too big or too small, STI Norland Australia CEO Alan Atchison sat down with pv magazine Australia to talk about how the company plans to make tracks Down Under.

The Sumitomo Corporation has reported a stunning ¥26bn (US$251m) loss on its Western Australian Bluewaters coal fired power investment. The loss assures the company’s worst ever annual performance and comes as a result of international and financial pressure against coal funding.

Neoen announced last month that it had completed the financing of its 460 MW Western Downs Green Power Hub, but today it has been revealed that said green finance came about through a wide reaching international effort, including seven global banks, a salutary sign that green finance is accelerating as fossil fuel divestment continues.

For a company that has its own big sunny solar farm and is developing a companion green-hydrogen production plant, the next step must be to formalise its commitment to go 100% renewable.