Markets & Policy

Rio Tinto has joined a group of industrial heavyweights including Equinor, Amazon and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries as investors in United States-based renewable hydrogen start-up Electric Hydrogen which plans to build green hydrogen production facilities at scale for industrial and infrastructure applications.

Queensland government-owned generator CS Energy has announced plans to build the largest grid-scale battery in the state at Greenbank in Brisbane’s outer southern suburbs. The 200 MW/400 MWh project will be delivered in partnership with Queensland network operator Powerlink.

United States-based solar power developer VivoPower International has secured its largest solar contract to date with Australian subsidiary J.A. Martin Electrical appointed to complete the electrical works for the 204 MWdc Edenvale Solar Farm being developed on Queensland’s Western Downs.

Australia’s small-scale solar and battery energy storage installation rate has remained robust in the face of a number of challenges. By virtue of this resilience, it is adding jobs and contributing the country’s decarbonisation, reports Nikhil Jayaraj, the Managing Director of Regen Power.  

In recent years, Longi has turned its attention to green hydrogen. Li Zhenguo, company founder and CEO, speaks with Vincent Shaw in Shanghai about the strategic shift and how coupling this technology with solar PV will be key to achieving carbon neutrality.

Australian solar and battery optimization technology provider Evergen will seek to accelerate its expansion in both the domestic and international markets after closing a $15 million fundraising round led by FRV-X, a division of Saudi-owned energy developer Fotowatio Renewable Ventures.

The Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics will receive up to $45 million in federal funding over the next eight years as it seeks to develop the next generation of efficient and ultra low-cost solar technologies.

Australian renewable energy tech start-up Okra Solar has raised $3 million to scale up distribution of its solar-based hardware and software solutions and electrify more than 290,000 off-grid homes in Nigeria in the next three years while expanding its operations in Haiti and other countries.

Days after announcing it would abandon coal-fired power by the end of the decade, the Western Australian government has set an ‘ambitious’ interim emissions target in a bid to reach net zero by 2050.

Australian renewables developer Energy Estate is seeking to raise more than $500 million to support its development activities and bankroll the construction of renewable power plants in both Australia and New Zealand.