Markets & Policy

Re-elected South Korean president Moon Jae-in today declared he will follow-up on a campaign trail promise to eliminate carbon emissions by mid century. The announcement comes just two days after Japan’s new prime minister said he would accelerate his nation’s emissions target.

As Australia’s home battery market begins to catch up to its install residential solar capacity the opportunity for large-scale virtual power plants is verging on reality. Indeed, Solar Service Group’s new Solar + Battery Members’ Plan could see Australia host the world’s largest virtual power plant next year.

BHP Nickel West has extended its PPA with Southern Cross Energy to 2038 as the mining giant looks to integrate renewable energy into its processes toward the goal of meeting its emissions reductions goals and producing ‘sustainable nickel’, a necessary requirement for potential client Tesla. The extended deal begins at Nickel West’s Leinster and Mount Keith operations with the development of an 18.5 MW solar farm and battery storage system.

The 460 MW Western Downs Green Power Hub is set to commence construction imminently, after Neoen achieved financial close on the project. The solar farm is set to be Australia’s largest, and indeed the largest in Neoen’s global portfolio, generating enough solar energy to power every home on the Sunshine Coast.

The island nation has agreed a deal with the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation to develop at least 15 MW of generation capacity in a US$15 million project.

The 26 GW Asian Renewable Energy Hub proposed for the Pilbara last week gained Major Project Status, and with it Federal Government support in streamlining ongoing approvals to commencement of construction in 2026.

The Clean Energy Council (CEC) has taken aim at the Australian Energy Market Commission’s (AEMC) transmission access reform proposal, declaring it will raise costs and stifle investment.

New records for minimum electricity demand have been recorded across the nation as Australia’s uptake of rooftop solar systems continues to climb.

While the desire for data to support smarter grids is clear, actually digitalising said data to make it communicable around Australia is proving a thornier operation. Ultimately, it requires Australia’s grid operators to undergo nothing short of a metamorphosis – transitioning from operating networks to becoming network operators.

A group of Australian researchers have made a significant discovery in the fight against light-induced phase segregation in next-generation solar cells, a somewhat counter-intuitive solution encapsulated in the famous final words of German polymath Johann Wolfgang von Goethe: “More light!”