Sustainability

A council on the NSW South Coast is prioritising the reuse of solar panels, partnering with a volunteer community group to either gift or resell the panels locally.

It is time to call out the problems of Net Zero, Enosi’s Grant McDowell argues. To reach a fully renewable grid, companies and institutions instead must embrace what he calls True Zero.

The PV industry in Southeast Asia has come a long way since guest author Ragna Schmidt-Haupt, partner at Everoze, reported on solar financing innovation in the region more than a decade ago. In this article, she outlines five factors for success, the newest of which has the potential to become a game changer, and not only in Southeast Asia.

Renewable energy investor and developer Quinbrook has launched software to allow customers to trace both the source and carbon-intensity of their electricity in real-time. The energy-tracing platform comes at an important moment, just as Australia’s government is deciding whether to include time-stamped and granular source information in its formal certificate schemes.

Ground-mounted PV is increasingly being investigated not only as a renewable generator, but as shelter for crops and creatures under fire from climate change. Last week’s All Energy conference handed the mike to some pioneers in the field.

Leaders from Australian hydrogen startup Hysata are joining Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on his four-day visit to the US to meet President Joe Biden. Hysata is commercialising a hydrogen electrolysis breakthrough that claims to improve efficiency by 20%.

Victorian hydrogen company Energys has unveiled its third-generation, locally-manufactured Hydrogen Fuel Cell Generators, five of which are to provide backup power for Telstra’s remote telecommunications towers as part of a Victorian pilot. The company says it is already constructing a green hydrogen generation plant too, supported by funding from the Victorian government.

To help balance variable renewable generation, California has set flexible demand standards for pool controls. The standards will help the state achieve its target of 7 GW of load flexibility by 2030 while saving consumers money.

Brisbane-based Vaulta has developed a lighter, smaller battery casing with fewer parts, which makes it easier to assemble modules and repair faulty components. CEO Dominic Spooner argues that the company’s patented technology has the potential to significantly reduce battery waste.

The solar-powered Stella Terra test car from The Netherlands’ Eindhoven University has just completed a 1,000 kilometre test drive from northern Morocco to the Sahara. In Australia, the solar car racing team from the University of New South Wales says the real challenge is to find new ways to push the boundaries of solar car races.