Strategic Alliances

One of Australia’s largest regional cities has signed a long-term power purchase agreement with Victorian network operator AusNet Services’ independent subsidiary Mondo Power as part of plans to install solar PV arrays on 90% of city-owned buildings in less than four years.

Australian renewable energy project developer Frontier Energy has identified its preferred electrolysis technology as it advances plans to produce green hydrogen powered by renewable energy sourced from the potential 500MW Bristol Springs Solar project it is developing in Western Australia.

Western Australian energy storage company VSUN Energy has inked a deal with aspiring renewables developer North Harbour Clean Energy which will see the two companies collaborate on the development and installation of vanadium redox flow battery projects and vanadium electrolyte supply.

Chinese inverter brand Sungrow has signed a 79 MW inverter and 176 MWh battery energy storage contract with Sydney-based hydrogen battery company Lavo. The contract will see Sungrow add its storage solution to 16 mid-scale solar farms in Victoria.

Australian miner IGO is claiming an Australian first in its joint venture with China’s Tianqi Lithium after producing battery grade lithium hydroxide, a key component in rechargeable battery technology, at its Kwinana refinery in Western Australia.

Two new solar farms in regional New South Wales are now delivering clean energy to the National Electricity Market with e-commerce giant Amazon announcing its first Australian utility-scale renewable energy investments and are now operational.

Reclaim PV Recycling and the Circular PV Alliance (CPVA) have announced a partnership which will see the pair work together to develop standards and testing procedures to support the reuse and resale of solar panels in Australia. The union comes after Reclaim PV found more than 31% it collected in a Queensland region could be considered for reuse rather than recycling.

With Australia’s presence felt strongly at the World Hydrogen Summit in Rotterdam last week, state governments are working to secure European markets through partnership agreements. Yesterday, New South Wales signed an initial agreement with Denmark which will see the distant pair support one another on matters of decarbonisation technology and trade. Just a few days earlier, Queensland’s government signed an MoU with the Netherland’s Port of Rotterdam to collaborate on opportunities to develop a hydrogen export supply chain.

Western Australia has been offered a glimpse of its energy future with the $35 million Project Symphony aggregating its first package of residentially generated energy and successfully participating in a simulated two-way Wholesale Electricity Market.

Singapore-headquartered solar manufacturer Maxeon Solar Technologies has declared it is moving “beyond the panel”, teaming with multinational battery manufacturer AlphaESS to develop integrated solar and energy storage solutions for the residential sector.