US investment giant snaps up New Zealand rooftop solar specialist
American investment behemoth BlackRock has agreed to acquire New Zealand rooftop solar PV and battery energy storage specialist SolarZero as part of its push into renewable energy in the Asia Pacific region.
Tasmania tips $2.5 million into solar irrigation project
Tasmanian farmers are set to turn to solar PV to cut energy costs with the state-owned irrigation authority announcing plans to install solar arrays at up to 13 existing pump station sites around the state, offsetting electricity usage and generating surplus power to be fed back into the grid.
Spanish giant to invest $4.4 billion in Australian renewables, naming it ‘key market’
Spanish company Iberdrola has committed to investing between €2 billion to €3 billion (AU$2.95b – $4.4b) in renewable projects in Australia, aiming for a 4 GW portfolio here “in the coming years.”
Queensland company capturing biogas from landfills launches IPO to expand battery play
Brisbane-based bioenergy company LGI Limited has listed on the ASX, seeking to raise $25 million for expansions, including fitting sites with batteries capable of playing on spot markets. For the company’s founder, Adam Bloomer, the role of bioenergy in Australia only makes real sense when limited to waste. “If it’s is not a waste stream, I think you’re barking up the wrong tree,” he tells pv magazine Australia.
Mica Creek Solar Farm in Queensland mining hub signs third offtaker
Australian gas company APA Group has signed a third offtake agreement for its 88 MW Mica Creek Solar Farm, currently under construction in Queensland’s mining hub.
Largest DC-coupled hybrid project in Australia acquired by Spanish company in major expansion strategy
Spanish power and gas provider Naturgy has acquired its first PV project in Australia – the Cunderdin hybrid solar + storage project east of Perth in WA. The project is set to be the country’s largest DC-coupled project to date.
Polysilicon price relief in 2023 as industry scales to 500 GW
Clean Energy Associates says solar wafer pricing will fall by 23% by the end of 2023, while BloombergNEF sees 500 GW of manufacturing capacity online by the end of next year.
Wollongong university green hydrogen breakthrough team awarded grant for cell extracting hydrogen in methane
The University of Wollongong professor behind the capillary-fed electrolyser breakthrough now being commercialised by Hysata has received grant funding to develop a cell for extracting pure hydrogen from methane mixtures.
Polysilicon price reaches new high at $66/kg, government takes action
Average polysilicon prices hit CNY 312 (AU$65.8)/kg this week, according to an industry association in China. The nation’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the State Administration for Market Regulation, and the National Energy Administration have also asked regional authorities to take action to deal with the price increase.
CEFC points to ‘critical’ infrastructure as part of investment strategy
Australia’s Clean Energy Finance Corporation has identified transmission and grid infrastructure as a key focus as it looks to build upon more than $10 billion of clean energy commitments in its first decade of investments.
