Utility Scale PV

China-headquartered smart solutions company Leapting’s specialised robots are helping speed up the installation of Neoen’s Culcairn solar farm in New South Wales, which the company says reduces labour intensity and mitigates construction safety risks.

University of New South Wales’ researchers using artificial intelligence to aid analysis of solar cell degradation, developing innovative green ammonia production and an end-of-life electric vehicle battery solution are recipients of commercialisation grants.

Robots on solar sites are not new; they have been deployed to automate everything from operations and maintenance to inspection and cleaning. In recent months, there has been an uptick in interest in robots for installation, particularly among utility-scale solar developers dealing with staff shortages, safety concerns, rising costs, and pressure to build.

Fortescue Metals Group has submitted a proposal to the Environment Protection Authority for approval of its proposed 644 MW Turner River solar hub near Port Hedland to power iron ore mining operations.

Victoria’s 2035 renewables target is forecast to require 27 million solar panels raising concerns over end-of-life management, with a government modelling forecast that tonnages of photovoltaic system e-waste will increase around 20% per annum over the next decade.

Zen Energy has signed an agreement with its ZEBRE partner Taiwan-headquartered clean power developer Hongde Energy for the development rights to multiple big battery and solar farm projects in three states.

An international research team studied the solar PV impact of emissions from a coal-fired power plant in the Atacama Desert, Chile finding that after five months of exposure, the deposited dust on co-located PV panels reached a maximum of 1.63 mg/cm2 with a 23 % reduction in photocurrent. The accumulation at the co-located plant was 3 times greater than nearby PV sites with similar coastal climate conditions.

The 2025-26 Federal Budget has committed $2 billion to the Clean Energy Finance Corporation to invest in solar and other renewable power, storage, energy efficiency, and low emissions technology, saying it will unlock a further $8 billion in investments.

Construction of New Zealand-headquartered Meridian Energy’s 120 MW Ruakākā Solar Farm is set to begin in August 2025, following the project reaching a final $206 million investment decision.

Australian think tank Climate Energy Finance (CEF) says global energy markets are being reshaped by solar’s disruption, which is happening at speed, turbocharged by battery energy storage system firming.