Sustainability

The Queensland government will team with the Smart Energy Council to develop an industry-led solar panel recycling scheme and investigate a ban on the dumping of end-of-life panels as it prepares for a surge in the number of decommissioned PV modules coming off rooftops.

The remote town of William Creek in outback South Australia is now being powered entirely by solar backed by a battery energy storage system after the switch was flicked on a 200 kW PV array that eliminates the need for diesel generation.

Australia’s rooftop solar capacity has passed the 20 GW threshold, according to analysis from solar consultancy SunWiz. Solar will subsequently overtake coal-fired capacity in April, when a New South Wales coal power station closes – making PV the country’s largest power generator.

Olivier Corradi, the CEO of Electricity Maps, speaks to pv magazine about why 24/7 granular accounting of electricity is key to decarbonisation and how the company tracks the carbon intensity of otherwise elusive electrons.

Newcastle Airport has signed a new long-term power purchase agreement with Australian energy retailer Flow Power that will allow it to achieve its 100% renewable energy strategy this year, seven years ahead of schedule.

US researchers are studying how agrivoltaic systems mounted on single-axis trackers affect rainfall and light redistribution at a 1.2 MW installation on grassland in Boulder, Colorado.

Grid operator Transgrid has partnered with German machine manufacturer Zeck for the use of its innovative steel separation technology. Zeck’s machine can process electricity transmission lines into a recycle-ready state onsite. Previously, Transgrid sent old transmission lines offshore for this process at a much higher cost to both the grid operator’s revenue and the environment.

Western Australia-based Hybrid Systems Australia has commissioned 42 MW of interconnected battery storage for two Fortescue mine sites in the Pilbara region, noting the installation is one of the largest for a mining application.

US aluminium giant Alcoa will go ahead with trialling a steam recycling technology aimed at reducing emissions at its West Australian Wagerup facility, after an ARENA-backed study found the technology was not only feasible but cheaper.

An international consortium led by Israel’s Al-Zahrawi Society has launched the Regace project to develop agrivoltaic solutions for greenhouses. It will investigate the performance of a new tracking system across locations and climates and use carbon dioxide enrichment to improve crop yield.