Markets & Policy

The deployment of standalone power systems in the National Electricity Market is expected to accelerate after the Australian Energy Market Commission this week published new rules allowing distributors to install the renewables-based technology in the five market jurisdictions.

More than 3 million Australian households and small businesses have voluntarily installed rooftop solar systems but a local council in New South Wales is looking to mandate the continued rollout, investigating the potential for all new homes built in its region to be required to have solar PV panels on the roof.

Adani Group and the Canada-based PEM fuel cell producer will examine various options to cooperate, including potential collaboration for hydrogen fuel cell manufacturing in India.

A cohort of 25 New South Wales councils has signed a renewable energy supply deal worth an estimated $180 million that will see the local government associations supplied with electricity sourced from three of the state’s large-scale solar farms.

Australian technology company Lavo’s innovative energy storage system – based on storing green hydrogen in a patented metal hydride – has attracted the attention of the UK government which has provided financial backing to allow for a demonstration facility to be installed in England’s northwest.

Looking to deepen their hydrogen collaborations, the UK government last week spoke with Australian politicians. Meanwhile Australian engineer Worley has entered into an MoU with ABB and IBM to develop an “integrated, digitally enabled solution for facility owners to build green hydrogen assets more quickly, cheaply, and safely.”

Today in South Australia, the market appears to have received a reminder that National Electricity Market Dispatch Engine (NEMDE) is technology agnostic, and that all types of technologies can experience their own challenges leading to price volatility.

One of Southeast Asia’s biggest generators of renewable electricity, Thailand’s CK Power, is set to double in size over the next three years after announcing plans to add 2.8GW of new renewable electricity generation, including a ten-fold increase in its solar capacity.

Tindo Solar, Australia’s only solar panel manufacturer, has launched its first module designed specifically for utility-scale projects, the 545W Karra module. Australia-made, the module boasts a 23.1% cell efficiency with a low cell-to-module loss rate of 0.07%.

A Tasmanian solar installer has been prosecuted for providing a false signature on a certificate form after being investigated by the Clean Energy Regulator. The Regulator has this month also suspended the registration of two solar agents, one permanently.