Markets & Policy

Chinese wind turbine supplier and project developer Goldwind is looking to offload its Australian wind and large scale solar development pipeline, according to reporting from the Australian Financial Review. The move amounts to one of the first international players looking to exit the Australian renewables marketplace in the face of policy chaos.

Following a grant from the Victorian government, Origin Energy is gearing up to connect solar and battery systems of up to 650 residential and commercial properties across the state, in what will be its first virtual power plant and the largest one in Victoria to date.

If all planned renewable energy projects were to proceed, Queensland would be in line for a $24 billion injection into the state’s economy and over 35,000 new jobs, argues a new Solar Citizens report.

Hit hard by volatile energy prices, Australian manufacturers have been advised to reduce their reliance on gas through a range of initiatives that can deliver major efficiency gains, such shifting from gas to solar.

According to the Taiwanese analysts, the solar PV module market is still stable. However, EnergyTrend expects a new price war to erupt with the end of minimum import tariffs (MIPs). In particular, Taiwanese manufacturers will have to cope with increasing price pressure.

Wrapping up the year in which it established its wholly-owned manufacturing facility in Thailand, the Brisbane-based battery supplier says it is negotiating contracts with a number of customers, sharpening its focus on key target markets in Australasia, Asia Pacific and South Africa.

While it took 60 months to reach the first million electric vehicle (EV) sales, in late 2015, it took the fourth million just six months. China is driving this development. Meanwhile, as first generation EVs batteries are reaching their end-of-life, interest in second-life use cases is growing. The volume of retired EV battery packs is set to be 108 GWh by 2029 – representing a third of the expected storage capacity market at that time.

The new control room located in Bangkok will help the German renewable energy developer to keep tabs on its growing APAC portfolio.

The addition of 7,200 MW of large-scale renewable energy supply since the closure of coal-fired power plants in 2016 in expected to almost halve wholesale electricity price over the next four years, shows the latest analysis from Green Energy Markets.

The new federal Energy Minister has revealed his thinking, although few details, as to the measures the government will take in pursuit of its new “laser like” focus on electricity price reduction. While denying that he is a climate sceptic, emissions reduction clearly has no place in proposed policy measures.