Strategic Alliances

New South Wales-based gravitational energy storage technology company Green Gravity will repurpose shafts in two Queensland copper mines scheduled to close in 2025, to store renewable energy.

Australian company Rux Energy is commercialising technology that uses highly porous nanomaterials to coat tanks for hydrogen storage, claiming significant improvements to the cost, safety and efficiency of what remains a major industry barrier. It has secured funding in the Australian government’s latest round of research grants, and recently opened an office in Essex off the back of industry trials now underway in the UK.

Founder and former CEO of SwitchDin Dr Andrew Mears is launching his new venture, Tesseract ESS, at Melbourne’s All Energy today. The proposition expands on his previous technologies to deliver a ‘storage-as-a-service’ model focused on Australia’s C&I segment, providing battery and solar systems at $0 CAPEX to Australian farmers, manufacturers and other businesses. Pv magazine Australia spoke to Mears ahead of the launch.

Energy Vault, a Swiss company which initially entered international markets with gravity-based storage technologies before expanding into lithium batteries, has signed a $350 million (USD 234 million) agreement with Australian developer Enervest to deliver a 1 GWh lithium battery for a site in Stoney Creek, NSW.

Solar Quotes founder Finn Peacock expects Origin Energy’s acquisition of the solar installation comparison service will accelerate the rollout of rooftop PV in Australia and the electrification of the nation’s energy system.

Indonesia has struck a deal with Chinese battery industry heavyweight CATL to build a giga-scale battery cell manufacturing plant in the southeast Asian nation as it works to establish a battery and electric vehicle ecosystem.

New South Wales-headquartered commercial solar company Symmetry Solar has completed the installation of a 235 kW system at Canberra’s Australian War Memorial as part of the facility’s $550 million upgrade.

Port of Newcastle, one of the largest coal ports in the world, is pushing ahead with its Clean Energy Precinct development, signing agreements for key design work and environmental impact studies.

Solar cell technology innovator SunDrive Solar will join forces with Chinese PV manufacturing giant Trinasolar to develop “cutting-edge” manufacturing facilities and bring Australian-made solar panels to market at scale.

The road to clean energy for remote communities can be long and hard, but it is possible, and First Nations people are ensuring their communities share in the benefits of Australia’s clean energy transition.