Markets & Policy

To truly seize on the opportunity afforded by the imminent battery boom, Australia needs to look beyond its historic role as a supplier of raw materials and broaden the horizons by adding value with downstream products and manufacturing, according to a recent Future Battery Industries report. Pv magazine Australia caught up with Vincent Algar, managing director of Australian Vanadium Limited – a company operating in this promising yet thorny realm.

Lumea is planning the first big battery to be financed without any government support at Melbourne’s Deer Park Energy Hub.

Gannawarra Solar Farm, Victoria’s first large-scale solar farm integrated with a big battery, has forayed into the world of agrisolar by integrating sheep grazing on site. The sheep are reportedly loving the shade offered by the panels, which has allowed them to graze even during the hottest parts of the day, with the animals unperturbed by the solar farm’s tracking devices.

An MIT-spawned company has teamed up with architects and an Italian frozen-desserts brand to design an origami-inspired umbrella to power fridges.

Although self-consumption of solar power is the optimal economic approach, the expense of household batteries at present outweighs the increased ability they offer to use electricity generated on the roof. Whether aggregated ‘virtual batteries’ offer better returns is an open question, due to lack of electricity company transparency.

The Australian Energy Regulator says maintaining a reliable energy supply shapes as a “pivotal challenge” with the nation’s record take-up of rooftop solar PV and investment in large-scale renewables transforming the way the energy market operates.

A decision about the controversial two-way pricing reform proposed by the Australian Energy Market Commission has been delayed with the rule maker extending the publication date for its final report on how to integrate new energy technologies like solar PV and batteries into Australia’s electricity grid.

Queensland network operator Powerlink has indicated battery storage will be a critical part of a bespoke strategy designed to solve system strength issues that have emerged as a challenge for renewable energy generation in the National Electricity Market.

State body the NEA has given its provincial offices until July 15th to suggest counties where a solar mandate – which rises to at least half of all government roof space – can be rolled out. Selected companies will be awarded whole-county contracts.

Australia is a world leader in the uptake of rooftop solar but the head of Queensland-based renewable energy company REA Global has labelled the nation’s solar installation standards out of date and unsafe.