Markets & Policy

Coming off a strong, profitable first quarter, Enphase sees the second-quarter results of Covid-19 in compressed revenue and a swing to a loss. Gross margins remain strong.

The Clean Energy Finance Corporation is set to become the cornerstone investor in a BNP Paribas’ issuance $140 million in new Australian green bonds through its Australian Climate Transition Index, an index for investors to parse the companies that will survive and thrive into a decarbonised future from those who will decay and die.

The Schools Virtual Power Plant pilot project, part of the WA Government’s $66.3 million investment in solar and batteries in its WA Recovery Plan from the impacts of Covid-19, will see ten schools transformed into VPPs. The two year trial is expected to bring reduced electricity bills to schools, improved grid stability, and increased solar uptake in the local community.

The Anglo-Dutch power company will buy Perth-based environmental specialist Select Carbon as part of a broader ambition to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 or sooner.

Having bagged large orders in the U.S. and Australia, Indian multinational engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services provider Sterling and Wilson Solar is bidding for tenders in new regions, Europe among them. Kannan Krishnan, S&W’s chief operations officer for solar in India and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation area, speaks to pv magazine about the impact of Covid-19 on the solar EPC business and the company’s expansion plans.

With the disruption of Covid-19 highlighting the climatic impact of the aviation industry, a recent report from the CSIRO funded by Boeing shows that hydrogen fuel’s technological momentum could see clean hydrogen used in airports by as early as 2025, and a full transition from conventional jet fuel by 2050.

The Hepburn Recreation Reserve has been recently fitted out with a solar installation accompanied by a Tesla Powerwall 2. The combined system is not only a great result for the local sports clubs, it also helps Hepburn Shire on its way to 100% renewables, and what is more, also secures the important facility as a ‘last resort’ for the community during a bushfire.

Trials of large-scale battery capabilities in Australia are showing great promise; behind the meter, households are buying into state-based battery programs and subsidies. Here, ANU’s Dr Lachlan Blackhall talks about the exciting potential for mid-scale community battery storage, future EV storage capacity, and more.

The oil and gas giant has announced it will build 500 MW of renewable energy projects to power some of its global facilities under the four-year agreement with Canada’s Algonquin Power & Utilities.

AES, one of the world’s largest power companies, has made a strategic investment in Sydney-based pre-fabricated solar array manufacturer 5B to meet the growing needs of its customers for solar.