Utility Scale PV

The scope of Zen Energy’s fledgling collaboration with Taiwan’s HD Renewable Energy has expanded with the two parties launching a joint venture that is targeting the development of 400 MW of solar and 1 GW of energy storage capacity in Australia.

Plans to build a new electricity transmission link between Tasmania and mainland Australia have progressed with Marinus Link Pty Ltd lodging a development application for a converter station to be built in Tasmania’s northwest.

Solar and wind are being installed at a rate that is three times faster than all other new electricity sources combined. This offers compelling market-based evidence that PV and wind are now the most competitive and practical methods for deploying new generating capacity.

Energy infrastructure provider GenusPlus Group has landed a $270 million contract to deliver a “critical” upgrade of Western Australia’s main electricity network as part of the state government’s plan to unlock existing renewable generation capacity, and allow the addition of new renewables to facilitate the retirement of coal-fired generation.

Renewable energy developer Acen Australia is seeking federal government approval for a 100 MW solar facility and an 180 MW battery energy storage system to be built near Cooma in the New South Wales Snowy Mountains region.

Aiko Solar has started production at its Jinan factory, its third facility for n-type all-back-contact solar modules. The plant is designed for 30 GW of solar cell and panel capacity, with the first 10 GW phase set to reach full output by late 2025.

Community submissions for a proposed utility-scale agrivoltaic solar farm on Aotearoa New Zealand’s south island, which would have the capacity to power 70,000 homes annually, has returned 75% against the development.

In five key trends, pv magazine looks back over a year that saw PV module prices fall lower than many thought possible, while demand was restrained by grid congestion, among other challenges. Energy storage has had a strong year and geopolitics is seeing solar and battery manufacturing enter new regions as competition drives technical innovation.

The commercial arm of Transgrid, Lumea, will connect one of New South Wales’ largest solar farms to the grid, providing a major boost to the state’s transition to renewables with enough clean energy to power nearly a quarter of a million homes.

The Clean Energy Regulator has released the November 2024 large-scale renewable energy target market data showing that 4,156 MW from 506 power stations was approved in 2024, with 510 MW in November 2024 alone, up from a total of 2,206 MW in 2023.