Markets

The Anglo-Dutch power company will buy Perth-based environmental specialist Select Carbon as part of a broader ambition to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 or sooner.

Having bagged large orders in the U.S. and Australia, Indian multinational engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services provider Sterling and Wilson Solar is bidding for tenders in new regions, Europe among them. Kannan Krishnan, S&W’s chief operations officer for solar in India and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation area, speaks to pv magazine about the impact of Covid-19 on the solar EPC business and the company’s expansion plans.

With the disruption of Covid-19 highlighting the climatic impact of the aviation industry, a recent report from the CSIRO funded by Boeing shows that hydrogen fuel’s technological momentum could see clean hydrogen used in airports by as early as 2025, and a full transition from conventional jet fuel by 2050.

The oil and gas giant has announced it will build 500 MW of renewable energy projects to power some of its global facilities under the four-year agreement with Canada’s Algonquin Power & Utilities.

The Kimberley Recovery Plan spells out in regional focus the renewable energy investments heading to the Kimberley from the Western Australian Government’s $5.5 billion WA Recovery Plan. The Kimberley region is set for an injection of funds to help fortify a sustainable renewable energy sector, particularly for the uptake of residential rooftop solar and energy storage systems.

Neoen’s Hornsdale Power Reserve has gone to work in the first half of 2020, virtually tripling the French renewables developer’s storage revenue on comparative 2019 levels. However, this growth was largely caused by a one-off event, and a slower Q2 highlights the need for FCAS policy renewal. Neoen’s Australian solar revenues could also achieve little more than consistency thanks to poor conditions.

Malmsbury Fire Station in Victoria has been generously donated a Tesla Powerwall 2 battery, a gift that allows the Malmsbury Fire Brigade to remain operational and vigilant despite power outages. 

If it was designed with a focus on reliability, security and the lowest cost for consumers, Australia’s main electricity grid would see periods in which nearly 90% of demand is met by renewable generation. A diverse portfolio of distributed energy resources and large-scale solar and wind generation supported mainly by pumped hydro and batteries would ensure the least-cost transition as the nation’s coal plants retire. Adequate investment in transmission infrastructure will be instrumental in making this a reality.

NSW State Government-owned water and sewage utility Hunter Water is set to join a now surging river of water utilities around Australia investing strongly in the uptake of solar PV. The announcement came with the completion of a 100 kW system at Branxton Wastewater Treatment Works.

Sydney’s Northern Beaches Council has installed its largest solar array to date, a 265 kW rooftop system atop the Andrew ‘Boy’ Charlton Aquatic Centre in Manly. Council is revving up its solar capacity on its way to a goal of having renewable energy power all suitable Council sites by 2030, an ambition it hopes will inspire more local residents to take up solar too.