Balance of Systems

More than 200 entries from across 39 countries made up the field for the pv magazine Awards 2023 and there was genuine innovation on display in all categories. Significant demands have been placed on the solar and energy storage industries in 2023, but that hasn’t stopped the sector from making great leaps in performance. The winners of the pv magazine Awards 2023 serve as shining examples of what can be achieved through a continuous improvement philosophy.

Australian mining and green energy major Fortescue has revealed plans to establish a new clean energy technology manufacturing plant in the United States as it looks to take advantage of America’s $565 billion (USD 369 billion) Inflation Reduction Act.

Japan-headquartered renewables developer Bison Energy has signed a supply agreement with tracker manufacturer GameChange Solar that is to underpin the development of five Australian solar projects totaling more than 125 MW.

Australian electric vehicle charger manufacturer Tritium will close its Brisbane manufacturing facility and move production to the United States in a bid to ensure its financial survival.

Sun Cable, which plans to build a 20 GW solar farm in the Northern Territory and export solar-generated electricity to Singapore via a 4,300-kilometre high-voltage undersea cable system, has announced plans to manufacture the power cables itself at a “multi-billion facility” in Tasmania.

United States solar and energy storage solutions manufacturer Bluetti has launched a modular 7,600 W lithium iron phosphate battery system for residential settings with a flexible energy storage capacity ranging from 9.9 kWh to 19.8 kWh.

Applications are open for grants of up to $750,000 (USD 479,000) under a new Victorian government program that aims to support Victorian manufacturers to be part of the growing renewable energy supply chain and boost the production of renewable energy products and components.

Australia’s most popular mounting solution brand, US company Nextacker, has released a hail stow-ready rack, a terrain following tracker and an irradiance-tracking yield optimiser.

The United States has begun to reshore its energy supply chain one year after the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act.

Brookfield Asset Management has inked a deal with Chinese multinational Envision Group to explore opportunities for manufacturing of clean energy equipment in Australia to support its plan to develop up to 14 GW of renewable generation and storage facilities in the country within the next decade.