Utility Scale PV

Goodwill may be the most under-appreciated resource for renewable project developers and one that is delivered through community ownership. At least, that’s according to Kristy Walters, chairperson of the 1 MW Haystacks Solar Garden project –  which claims to be Australia’s first large scale solar garden cooperative.

Steel giant BlueScope is backing the NSW Government’s ambitious renewable infrastructure plan through a $20 million investment into the development of a Renewable Manufacturing Zone at its Port Kembla site in the Illawarra. The investment seeks to encourage innovation in the renewable sector and work towards the Government’s goal of constructing the state’s Renewable Energy Zones with local materials.

Danish investment firm Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners has given its partnership to Hydrogen Renewables Australia as it looks to develop the 5,000 Mw Murchison Renewable Hydrogen Project near Kalbarri in Western Australia. The project looks to utilise Australia’s best wind and solar resources to produce hydrogen fuel for export to nations such as Japan and Korea.

Spanish developer Fotowatio Renewable Ventures (FRV) has reaffirmed its presence in the Australian renewable energy marketplace by adding the 115 MW Metz Solar Farm to its solar portfolio.

Iron ore mining giant Fortescue Metals Group has revealed ambitious plans to build one of the biggest renewable energy portfolios in the world, delivering more than 235 GW of renewable capacity, or five times the current capacity of Australia’s National Energy Market.

On Tuesday 13th October 2020 Queensland’s electricity spiked from approximately $25/MWh to $15,000/MWh (the current market price cap) in response to a tripping incident involving the constraint of 11 solar farms and one wind farm. The event is being seen as illustrative of just what needs to be addressed in the design of NEM 2.0.

PV modules are being sold with ever longer warranties, but when modules underperform or fail, making claims on those warranties is rarely straightforward. So are the warranties worth the paper they’re written on? Where does this leave installers? And how can this liability be mitigated?

“We need a ‘deployment’ energy secretary,” Generate Capital President Jigar Shah said several years ago. “One who understands how entrepreneurs move from research to revenue. One who understands the difference between venture capital and project finance.”

Sunraysia Solar Farm in southern New South Wales will be able to begin production from today after the Australian Energy Market Operator finally approved its registration. The solar farm near Balranald had been expected to begin production last year, but was delayed because of technical and transmission issues.

A steady progression of targets, plans and policy adjustments come together in the ‘NSW Electricity Infrastructure Roadmap’ as the Berejiklian Government strives to get ahead of the retirement of coal-fired generators — and fire up the state economy!