Vast Solar lands $65 million for ‘first-of-a-kind’ concentrated solar power plant
Renewable energy developer Vast Solar will progress plans to deliver Australia’s first commercial-scale concentrated solar power plant after securing financial backing from the federal government to build a 30 MW/288 MWh facility near Port Augusta in South Australia.
Weekend read: A battery of dilemmas
A surge of community battery trials in Australia is seeking to make better use of the country’s vast distributed solar resource. But the results so far have battered expectations. pv magazine Australia’s Natalie Filatoff and Bella Peacock explore the motivations, challenges, and outlook for sharing and monetising solar rooftop riches.
Essential Energy backs battery to maximise solar generation and exports
Network operator Essential Energy has installed its first grid-scale battery energy storage system on the New South Wales electricity network as part of a “critical” trial designed to allow more renewable energy into the grid and drive better network utilisation.
Australians encouraged to ‘give a XXXX’ as brewer opts for solar
Iconic Australian beer brand XXXX will be brewed using 100% clean energy after parent company Lion inked an agreement to source renewable power from Lightsource bp’s 176 MW Woolooga Solar Farm in southeast Queensland.
Lightsource bp lands 150 MW solar farm deal at NZ airport
Lightsource bp and ‘gen-tailer’ Contract Energy’s plans to build up to 380 GWh of annual generation of grid-scale PV in New Zealand by 2026 are now in motion with the companies chosen to develop what will be one of the nation’s largest solar farms on the South Island.
New EV battery offers 50% more energy density than traditional lithium-ion batteries
Ionblox says it will use $32 million of series B funding to support the buildout of a novel silicon anode electric vehicle battery.
WA gets glimpse of energy future after Plico switches on VPP
Rooftop solar stronghold Western Australia has been offered a glimpse of its energy future with the market operator having activated its first virtual power plant to prevent household blackouts after heatwave conditions sparked concern for the state’s main energy grid.
Arnott’s Group links with Stanwell in shift to renewables
A 40,000 sqm factory in Virginia, Queensland, is to be powered with 100% renewable energy after Australian biscuit manufacturer Arnott’s Group signed a long-term power purchase agreement with energy generator Stanwell.
Research project to target thermal losses in large-scale solar farms
Modular solar array manufacturer 5B will work with researchers from the University of Sydney to optimise the design of large-scale solar farms in a bid to minimise temperature-induced panel efficiency losses. The research project secured funding support in the latest round of the Australian Research Council’s Linkage Project Grants program.
Polysilicon price rebound continues
Polysilicon prices started to rise in the second half of January, according to new data from the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association (CNMIA).
