Utility Scale PV

Western Australian renewables company Provaris Energy has advanced its Tiwi H2 green hydrogen export project planned for the Tiwi Islands in the Northern Territory with the design feasibility report for the proposed solar farm and transmission system now complete.

Solar generation in Australia’s main electricity grid has surged to record highs with the latest data from the Australian Energy Market Operator revealing that rooftop solar generation increased 30% in the second quarter of 2023 while grid-scale solar output rose by 37%.

Renewable energy developer Neoen will scale up the installed capacity of the Western Downs Battery being built in Queensland to 270 MW/540 MWh as it looks to keep pace with rising demand for energy storage and realise opportunities across Australia’s evolving energy system.

The SeaVolt consortium says it will launch an offshore floating PV demonstrator off the Belgian port of Ostend. The main companies – Tractebel, DEME, Equans and Jan De Nul – say the anchored floating array will collect data for at least a year to scale up the tech.

Scientists in China have proposed to use an algorithm that simulates the behaviour of foraging bees to shape a new grid-forming inverter design. The approach is designed for both grid-connected and islanded inverters.

Installation robots are moving from test centres to the field. American technology companies Sarcos Technology and Robotics Corporation and Terabase Energy recently announced key business developments.

Rystad Energy says that about €7 billion ($7.8 billion) of solar panels are now being stored in Europe, but European developers continued to buy solar modules from China throughout the first half of this year.

The volume and complexity of data generated by renewables sites is growing, as are the regulatory requirements regarding its collection and delivery. Thomas Andersen, VP of renewables for U.S.-based engineer Emerson, explains how modern asset management systems can deliver better functionality and management to project operators and owners.

The New Zealand arm of United Kingdom-based renewables company Harmony Energy is seeking to accelerate the development of three solar farms that would add almost 300 MW combined generation capacity to the nation’s energy grid.

Clean energy investor Global Sustainable Energy Opportunities expects to gain access to additional revenue streams in Australia’s National Electricity Market after completing the retrofit of a battery energy storage system at an operating solar farm in South Australia.