Finance

British-headquartered oil and gas major bp will look at deploying a 100 MW electrolyser to produce renewable hydrogen for domestic and export markets as it seeks to transform its former Kwinana oil refinery site in Western Australia into a green fuels hub.

The managing director of Omers Infrastructure, a Canadian infrastructure fund with stakes in FRV Australia and Transgrid, has said the company is “well short” of its investment hopes for Australian renewables.

A Dutch-German research team has tested how a series of framed messages may be used to boost PV system sales, addressing both self-interest and environmental concerns, and has found that all the proposed messages are effective at promoting the purchase of solar panel installations.

Plug Power has issued a warning about its 2023 financial performance due to supply challenges in North America, while Air Products says it is cementing its collaboration with Chengzhi in China.

A ‘Feasibility First Value Selling’ can transform solar sales processes, James Allston of Orkestra argues.

Australian commercial solar outfit CleanPeak Energy has expanded its utility-scale PV portfolio with the acquisition of three operating solar farms with a combined capacity of 14.3 MW in Western Australia and the Australian Capital Territory.

Sydney startup AMSL Aero has been awarded $5.43 million by ARENA to develop a hydrogen-powered electric aircraft capable of taking off and landing vertically. The startup has previously flown a battery-only prototype, but says adding a hydrogen fuel cell will increase the range to 1000km.

New South Wales network operator Ausgrid has switched on the second community battery rolled out under an Australian government national funding program that has sparked an “overwhelming” response with more than $3.5 billion (USD 2.28 billion) of projects seeking funding.

The PV industry in Southeast Asia has come a long way since guest author Ragna Schmidt-Haupt, partner at Everoze, reported on solar financing innovation in the region more than a decade ago. In this article, she outlines five factors for success, the newest of which has the potential to become a game changer, and not only in Southeast Asia.

LAVO, which entered the market with its hydrogen battery in 2021, has soft launched a new Energy-as-a-Service model. Partnering with Yingli Solar, LAVO says it can install and maintain solar, battery and EV charging systems at no upfront cost to Australian households, who will then pay off the systems via a 10-year subscription.