Industry-first pilot using hydrogen in food manufacturing launches in NSW
Australian hydrogen research and development company, Star Scientific, has announced its technology will be used to provide heat for industrial-scale sanitation in a pilot with Mars Food Australia.
5B acquires Adelaide manufacturing plant ahead of global gigawatt-scale push
Sydney-based solar pioneer 5B has today announced it will acquire IXL Solar’s Adelaide-based manufacturing business, with pv magazine Australia told the purchase will see 5B buy everything but the name, effective immediately.
Singaporean FPV firm targets offshore expansion plans
Floating PV is a growing niche in the solar sector, but its offshore segment has proven more difficult to activate, largely because of the difficulty of open-water energy generation. Nevertheless, the potential of offshore floating PV is almost unlimited, and one Singaporean firm, G8 Subsea, is looking to leave the safety of harbours and reservoirs.
World’s largest renewables player granted retail license for Australia
Italian energy utility giant Enel Group has been granted a retail energy licence for Australia, with the company saying it will soon be one stop shop ‘greentailer’. Supported by its established Australian operations Enel X and Enel Green Power Australia, the new green energy retailer will first target commercial and industrial customers before expanding to residential customers.
Victoria’s EV subsidy sees 200% sales boost as $8 million allocated to charging infrastructure
The Victorian government has today announced it will put $5 million towards installing fast-charging stations across the state and $3 million in new charging infrastructure grants for local council and business fleets. The government also simplified access to its $3,000 electric vehicle subsidy, saying the program has led to a 200% sales increase in the last six months.
SA batteries paid to charge as solar sends electricity prices negative
Batteries in South Australia have been paid to charge throughout September and October 2021 due to a record number of negative price intervals. Wholesale electricity prices were negative almost 40% of the time.
Record solar numbers expected this year but IEA highlights pricing concern
The Paris-based body expects the world will have installed almost 160 GW of solar this year, a record number, but still not enough to keep the prospect of a net zero global economy by mid century in sight.
Sunday read: New consensus in cybersecurity
As power systems integrate more digital and inverter-based devices, the guidelines and technical standards for these resources are evolving, and none as quickly and urgently as cybersecurity standards. New approaches to cyber defence are now needed to protect more interconnected systems with diverse owners, manufacturers, and system architectures. However, current cybersecurity standards for energy devices are still patchy. Upcoming efforts are aimed at changing that, reports NREL’s Connor O’Neil.
Renewables to rise as Labor targets 43% emissions reduction
Federal Labor plans to increase the share of cheap renewable energy in the National Electricity Market to 82% by 2030 as part of its pledge to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 43% by the end of the decade if it wins power at the next election.
Commercial returns on VPPs ‘proven’ as expanded program adds more sophisticated features
Simply Energy on Thursday announced it will be extending its Virtual Power Plant program across the eastern seaboard and opening it up to five different battery brands. Simply Energy will continue its technology partnership with SwitchDin to do so, with Ryan Wavish, Simply’s General Manager, and Andrew Mears, CEO and founder of SwitchDin, telling pv magazine Australia they plan to introduce a whole range of new, more advanced features into the VPP as the relationship between the two companies evolves.
