Markets & Policy

While curtailing solar and wind energy production can be viewed as a lost opportunity, NREL argues that it may be an important feature in the future energy grid dominated by low-cost renewable energy.

Australian renewable energy and storage developer Genex Power has confirmed it is the target of a takeover bid having received an unsolicited offer of more than $300 million from a consortium of private equity firms led by Australian technology billionaire Scott Farquhar’s Skip Capital.

The Australian Capital Territory government has firmed its commitment to deliver one of the largest battery storage systems in the Southern Hemisphere to support Canberra’s energy grid and the continued uptake of renewables with funding allocated in the upcoming budget to progress the Big Canberra Battery project.

Italian utilities giant Enel Group is reportedly looking to sell a substantial share in its Australian renewable energy platform, Enel Green Power, to help fund an estimated 3.6 GW development pipeline in the country.

India will see a cumulative demand for around 600 GWh of lithium-ion batteries from 2021 to 2030 across all segments. The recycling volume coming from the deployment of these batteries will be 125 GWh by 2030.

Despite polysilicon shortage-induced high module prices, the market saw strong demand in the usually slower summer season this year, due to the global race to net-zero emissions. Corrine Lin, chief analyst at PV InfoLink, expects demand to reach 240 GW, with China and Europe set to contribute more than 80 GW and 50 GW, respectively. Together with the United States, which has paused the introduction of new solar tariffs, the three largest markets will dominate nearly 70% of global demand.

The Federal Government has moved to scrap controversial changes to the Australian Renewable Energy Agency’s mandate that allowed it to fund some fossil-fuel related and carbon capture storage technologies, signing regulations which make it clear the agency will focus on renewables and electrification.

The Energy Security Board has declared the impending electrification of Australia’s transport fleet has the potential to revolutionise the way consumers receive and use energy and has issued a call for input on how best to support the effective integration of smart charging for electric vehicles into the National Electricity Market.

With the International Energy Agency leading calls to diversify the world’s solar PV supply chain, Australia’s only solar panel maker Tindo Solar has released a video following the manufacturing process at its new $11 million production facility in Adelaide.

New South Wales has reached another milestone in its transition from coal-fired power generation to renewables-based electricity with the state government announcing the start date for a tender process expected to deliver at least 2,500 GWh of new annual generation and 600 MW of long-duration storage.