Rooftop solar is crushing* the returns for large-scale VRE
* rooftop PV is a dominant factor, though there are others… such as the ongoing need for ‘Keeping the Lights on Services’ (which large-scale VRE largely does not supply).
Piling subcontractor fined $40,000 after explosion on Western Downs solar farm
A Queensland court has fined a subcontractor providing piling services at Columboola Solar Farm* $40,000 (USD 26,300) for failing to comply with a health and safety standards after an aerosol can explosion caused a metal bar to strike a worker.
Zen Energy inks deal to supply Queensland shopping centres with solar energy from Blue Grass
Zen Energy has inked a six-year deal with Australian property fund manager ISPT to supply 14 different Queensland shopping centres and commercial properties with power from the 200 MW Blue Grass Solar Farm.
Australia’s biggest solar farm to supply renewable energy to Coles
The Queensland government has announced that state-owned CleanCo is now providing Coles stores with renewable energy for 95% of its electricity needs in Queensland.
Rio approves new solar and battery storage project on Cape York
Global mining giant Rio Tinto has approved a new 12.4 MW solar farm and 2.1 MWh battery energy storage system to help power its Amrun bauxite operations near Weipa in far north Queensland.
Acciona presses go on 380 MW Queensland solar farm
Construction of the 380 MW Aldoga Solar Farm being developed near Gladstone on the central Queensland coast is to commence in the first quarter of 2024 with energy generated at the facility to go towards powering the state’s largest green hydrogen project.
Solar productivity negatively impacted by emissions and aerosols, study finds
A study by engineers at UNSW, published in the Renewable Energy journal, shows that aerosols and greenhouse gas emissions reduce the productivity of photovoltaic installations and that this differs according to the global region.
New Zealand’s largest utility-scale solar project starts generating power
Lodestone Energy has started generating electricity at its solar farm in Kaitaia, New Zealand’s largest solar farm and first utility scale solar installation to date.
More battery projects approved in Victoria
Planning permits have been granted to two large battery projects by Victoria’s planning department: the existing Elaine Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) by Akaysha Energy has been approved for expansion at its four-hour energy battery, and Flow Energy’s BESS project at Bennett’s Creek that will further transform the former coal country into a hub for 24/7 renewable energy.
‘Worst’ year for investment in Australia’s large-scale segment, report finds
Investment in Australia’s renewable energy sector is more than 10 times lower than where it should be to reach 2030 targets, according to the Clean Energy Council calculations. Australia’s “sluggish” large-scale segment is the result of a confluence of issues, and illustrates the urgent need for the federal government’s newly supercharged Capacity Investment Scheme.
