Every panel for itself! How to make a solar farm yield 20-25% more power
CQSola, the startup company of Australian energy innovators Ian and Tony Schirmer, will soon begin manufacturing a DC optimiser that promises to solve many of the inherent problems of solar farming, increase energy output, and drive greater insights into large-scale solar energy production.
The Chinese solar market is changing shape
Two reports have described how the world’s largest renewable energy market is moving towards maturity. According to the Brookings Institution, the Chinese clean energy market could become more open to Western investors and tech. A report by Fitch claims projects are moving back to inland provinces from coastal regions.
Canadian Solar continues to expand operations and maintenance fleet
The Chinese-Canadian solar giant’s Operations & Maintenance (O&M) portfolio in Australia is now over 875 MWp after the company announced it had sealed deals with three solar PV plants coming in at a combined capacity of 300 MWp.
200 MW Avonlie Solar Farm receives NSW development approval
British developer RES Group receive development approval for 200 MW Avonlie Solar Farm in NSW’s Riverina. The project could have the ability to generate close to 80,000 homes with solar energy.
Coles inks PPA to source power from three NSW solar farms
The Australian supermarket giant will purchase more than 70% of the electricity generated by three solar power plants to be built and operated by Metka EGN outside the regional centres of Wagga Wagga, Corowa and Junee – the equivalent of 10% of Coles’ national electricity usage.
Industrial products manufacturer inks major solar-wind PPA
The Australian arm of global mining manufacturer Molycop will be partly powered by wind and solar with the help of a long-term offtake deal inked with electricity retailer Flow Power. Under the new partnership, the manufacturer will have access to the ARENA Demand Response program.
200 MW solar project nipped in the bud as VCAT hands down decision
In a major battle over land use, the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal has decided to refuse a planning permit for the 200 MW Bookaar Solar Farm, near Camperdown.
UPC/AC Renewables invest in 550 MW of pumped hydro and solar in South Australia
AC Renewables, the energy arm of Philippines’ Ayala Corp, and Australia’s UPC Renewables have agreed to buy 51% in a 250 MW pumped hydro project and a neighboring 300 MW solar project, both located in South Australia.
175 MW Finley Solar Farm reaches construction milestone
Stage 1 or an equivalent of 85 MW has been installed and tested at the Finley Solar Farm, one of the many large-scale solar developments in the Riverina region.
Using machine learning and cheap satellite data to design rooftop solar power
Researchers have built a tool to use cheap satellite imagery – like Google Maps – to automatically create solar designs with a 91% accuracy rate.
