Markets & Policy

Modelling by The Australia Institute asserts that if the country’s commercial and institutional buildings shifted just one third of their electricity consumption to the middle of the day when there is a peak in solar supply it would deliver new peak capacity in the energy market of almost 12 GW.

Australia’s Department of Defence has activated its largest solar farm yet, flicking the switch on an almost 11 MW PV power plant at the Robertson Barracks in the Northern Territory.

Victorian government-owned water authority GWMWater is branching into large-scale renewable energy generation with construction set to begin on a 6.5 MW solar array and battery energy storage system near the town of Nhill in the state’s west.

Former Australian prime minister Julia Gillard has been named chair of a multi-billion renewable energy fund that is aiming to build a 15 GW portfolio of assets including wind, solar, and battery storage over the medium term.

More than 6,000 homes and businesses in Western Australia’s Kimberley now have the option to install rooftop PV with regional energy provider Horizon Power confirming that its Smart Connect Solar technology that removes network hosting capacity constraints is now available in the town of Broome.

The federal and state governments are stepping up their investments as they seek to deliver the army of skilled workers required to build the solar and wind farms, rooftop solar, battery storage and transmission infrastructure needed to achieve Australia’s renewable energy and emissions targets.

An ‘Australian first’ demonstration of aggregated flexible demand in residential settings will be rolled out in South Australia with the state’s principle electricity distributor to deliver smart energy upgrades for 500 households as part of a pilot program that aims to coordinate power usage to better support the grid.

Two Victorian energy companies are putting their know-how to the test by using technology to solve flexible demand issues for residential, commercial, and industrial customers, with the aim of matching variable energy sources like rooftop solar, to supply and demand.

New data from market firm SunWiz shows Australian households and businesses installed a further 262 MW of solar on their rooftops during the month of April, pushing the year-to-date total up 7% on the corresponding time last year.

Also on the rise: California crosses 10 GW battery storage threshold; Philippines set to add almost 2 GW of new solar in 2024; CATL unveils Ev with 1,000km range; and more.