Markets

Prime Infra recently acquired a 500 MW pumped storage hydropower project in Rizal province in the Philippines. The company is also developing a 1.4 GW facility in the country.

Ukraine is still facing dire circumstances, with war continuing to claim lives and Russian invaders occupying large parts of the country. Solar plant owners also face serious challenges, including collateral damage, looting, destruction of communication infrastructure, and payment shortfalls. However, a bold vision for recovery has been set out with a key role for solar, as Ian Skarytovsky reports.

Australia’s Clean Energy Regulator has this week executed search warrants on several residential and commercial addresses connected to a Perth-based solar PV retail and installation business as part of an investigation into a potential $1.5 million solar panel fraud.

Transitioning from fossil fuels to renewable energy technologies including solar PV and green hydrogen by 2050 could save the world at least $18 trillion (US$12 trillion), according to a peer-reviewed study published by researchers from Britain’s Oxford University and Australia’s Monash University.

Indian renewable energy developer Serentica Renewables plans to install and commission 1.5 GW of solar and wind capacity in 24 months to serve energy-intensive industries in the Asian nation.

A 3 GW solar installation will be built in the Tengger Desert, in northern China. It will require an investment of around $3.18 billion (CNY 15.25 billion).

The New South Wales government’s plans to develop a renewable energy zone in the state’s central west is one step closer to fruition following the release of the scoping report for the transmission infrastructure required to connect at least 3 GW of new renewable energy generation capacity to the grid.

Solar-wind hybrid plants are rapidly becoming mainstream, and in booming markets like India and the US these hybrids are increasingly preferred to singular projects despite the higher installation cost. There is no shortage to the benefits of hybridisation, from a smoother power output profile to the cost saving of grid connection. But getting the balance right for new projects and retrofits remains a challenge. Blake Matich reports on this growing trend.

Australian battery manufacturer Redflow is determined to capitalise on what is describes as an emerging demand for non-lithium-based energy storage technology, announcing it has teamed with United States-based renewables developer Empower Energies to deploy solar and flow battery solutions in North America.

WA company St George Mining has found indications its nickel project in the north-eastern Goldfields of Western Australia could also be home to “significant” amounts of lithium. The discovery sits alongside recent findings from miners Red Dirt Metals, Zenith Minerals and Hancock, Hawthorn Resources.