Markets & Policy

Australia’s independent energy markets and power systems operator has warned urgent investment in generation, firming and transmission is needed with forecasts showing the National Electricity Market needs to almost triple its installed capacity in less than 30 years.

SMA Solar Technology AG says it will open a new 3.5 GW inverter factory at an unspecified location in the United States in 2025. The German manufacturer is currently talking with several US states and potential partners to select the best production site.

Just days after a regulation to prevent new gas network connections to buildings in the Australian Capital Territory came into effect, the Victorian government has released updated plans designed to end that state’s reliance on fossil gas.

Philippines-based energy company ACEN Corporation plans to bolster its renewable energy initiatives in Australia after sealing a $75 million green term loan facility that will help fund the delivery of an 8 GW portfolio of solar, wind, battery storage and pumped hydro projects.

Tunnelling has restarted on a troubled section of the largest renewable energy project under construction in Australia after the New South Wales government issued new environmental approvals to Snowy Hydro.

Australia’s largest telecommunications provider, Telstra, is a step closer to its goal of enabling renewable energy generation equivalent to 100% of its consumption by 2025 after inking a new 153 GWh solar offtake agreement with Global Power Generation.

Canadian Solar says its new SolBank 3.0 grid-scale battery supports up to 2.35 MW/5 MWh of grid-scale renewable energy storage and dispatch.

Australian clean energy outfit Atmos Renewables is partnering with UK-based Nomad Energy to help develop a renewable energy project pipeline with over 1 GW of capacity in Western Australia by 2030.

Smoke from wildfires significantly effects solar output, researchers from UNSW have found. Specifically, Australia’s Black Summer in 2019 – 2020 caused energy losses from residential and utility PV systems estimated between 175 to 35 GWh, equating to a worst-case financial loss of around $6.1 to $29 million.

Startup Green Gravity has signed a deal with mining company Wollongong Resources to study the application of gravitational energy storage technology at up to eight mining sites in New South Wales.