Strategic Alliances

German startup 1Komma5 has started production on its own solar modules, which are expected to hit Australian shores “imminently,” Chris Williams, CEO of its APAC arm, told pv magazine Australia. The company has just signed a polysilicon contract with fellow German company Wacker, a step towards addressing issues around unethical labour and embedded emissions in solar’s supply chain.

Dan French, executive producer of the Solar Farm Summit, told pv magazine USA that more than 500 farmers, manufacturers, and community solar developers likely attended the first US agrivoltaics conference in Chicago last week.

Chinese module manufacturer DAS Solar has marked its entry into the Australian market with the release of an all-black n-type bifacial solar panel featuring an output of 410 W to 430 W and efficiencies of up to 22%.

The Solar Energy Industries Association’s (SEIA) latest white paper on solar and storage manufacturing includes an interactive map. It shows that momentum has started to build for a transformational expansion of domestic solar and storage manufacturing.

Australian battery designer and manufacturer PowerPlus Energy will look to accelerate its growth plans after technology investment company PPK Group announced plans to acquire a large stake in the company.

The global agrivoltaics market is pegged at a 10.1% annual growth rate, according to a research note by Allied Analytics.

South Australian electricity distributor SA Power Networks has announced it will work with retailers AGL and Simply Energy to explore opportunities to enable the orchestration of existing rooftop solar systems, an innovation that is expected to support the increased uptake of renewables and help the stability of the grid.

Australian automotive technology company SEA Electric has inked a deal which will see United States-headquartered truck manufacturer Mack use its technology to power a battery electric version of its medium-duty vehicle range.

Australian energy storage systems provider Evo Power has teamed with battery optimisation technology provider Evergen in a move which aims to make it easier for commercial and industrial-scale battery customers to optimise and monetise their assets.

Only weeks after announcing its plan to build a lithium-ion battery gigafactory in Geelong, Australia-based startup Recharge Industries has bought collapsed battery maker Britishvolt – doubling its manufacturing ambitions. The takeover resuscitates Britishvolt’s gigafactory play in northern England, and means the little known startup now holds two significant battery making projects.