Markets

Government-backed Energy Fiji Limited has started accepting bids for the development, operation and maintenance of three ground-mounted solar plants in Fiji with a combined capacity of 21.93 MW.

The first $550 million of the federal government’s Solar Sunshot program has been launched to support the development of Australia’s solar manufacturing industry and help local businesses capture more of the global solar manufacturing supply chain.

Gas and oil heavyweight Woodside Energy has shelved two green hydrogen projects in Australia and New Zealand with a combined capacity of 2.3 GW, citing inadequate renewable energy generation capacity, revised environmental demands and challenging economics.

The Queensland government has launched a solar panel recycling scheme with the launch of the first of 15 sites collection sites that are to be established across the state. The program is expected to save 26 tonnes of broken or end-of-life solar panels from landfill annually and will inform the possible rollout of a nationwide scheme.

BloombergNEF says the global solar industry will install 592 GW of modules this year, up 33% on 2023. The consultancy has also lowered its estimate for 2024 polysilicon production, as manufacturers are temporarily scaling back output.

The Australian government’s Energy Update 2024 shows solar electricity generation grew 21% in the 2022-23 period and is 11 times higher than a decade ago, jumping 3% in each of the past two years.

Swiss-German PV manufacturer Meyer Burger has announced company restructuring plans, put an end to a proposed United States solar cell plant and put on hold plans for capacity expansion at an existing module production plant in the US. Existing cell production site in Germany to remain part of Meyer Burger operations.

Western Australian energy solutions provider Avid Group has signed a master supply agreement with United States-headquartered company Enervenue which manufactures nickel-hydrogen batteries it says are capable of more than 30,000 duty cycles at two to 12-hour discharge rates.

Zen Energy has struck a long-term agreement to buy the majority of energy to be generated at the $190 million Quorn Park solar and battery hybrid project being developed by Enel Green Power Australia in western New South Wales.

Australian solar panel manufacturer Tindo Solar has revealed the first link in a domestic downstream supply chain that is to support a planned six-fold increase in its annual output, striking a supply arrangement with aluminium extrusion company Capral Aluminium.