Markets

Despite the impact of the pandemic and associated economic crisis, 2020 saw unprecedented growth in the solar market. With the International Energy Agency stating that high rates of capacity additions are the new normal, has the energy and investment environment fundamentally changed? Felicia Jackson in London explores these issues.

If the three record-busting low solar price tariffs recorded in the Middle East in the past 18 months are to be believed, renewables-powered hydrogen in prime sites in the region could already compete with gas-plus-CCS production, according to IRENA. Has the Gulf discovered the new petrol?

Spanish EPC Gransolar Group’s four member companies across the entire value chain are combining on its first hybrid power plant. The 5 MW solar + storage hybrid power plant near Dalby, Queensland, will supply solar energy to grid service provider Ergon while also taking advantage of all the other revenue streams available to energy storage projects.

A survey of 300 business decision-makers across Australia has found nearly 40% of large businesses and 21% of small to medium enterprises are unhappy with their current energy contracts, with 62% of respondents saying they would be willing to switch.

Investments in solar and wind in the Asia Pacific could double over the next decade compared to 2011 – 2020, hitting AU$1.7 trillion, according to new analysis by Wood Mackenzie.

Tasmania’s port authority has entered into an agreement with Fortescue Future Industries for land and operating access for its proposed 250 MW green hydrogen plant at Bell Bay, in Tasmania’s north.

Perth-based TNG Limited has signed an agreement with Malaysian green hydrogen company AGV Energy which will see its vanadium redox flow batteries integrated into the HySustain project to store solar energy for green hydrogen production.

The two solar manufacturers will get priority access to polysilicon produced at the planned fab in Inner Mongolia, which developer Xinte Energy has said will be fully operational by June 2023.

The Gladstone Energy and Ammonia Project plans to efficiently use available resources and technology to produce low-cost, relatively low-emissions blue hydrogen from coal, and provide a conduit to commercialising true green hydrogen. A federal emissions policy driving toward a net-zero commitment could properly value GEAP’s place in Australia’s energy and export ecosystem.

Despite the global pandemic and recession, corporate purchases of clean energy are booming. Several factors are driving this trend, including falling costs, heightened appetite for sustainability among consumers and investors, and increased political will for net-zero development. In recognition of this, the UP Initiative will spend the third quarter investigating sustainable electricity supply. How are PPA models evolving? What are the critical issues around residual energy? And how can greenwashing be avoided? pv magazine investigates.