Zen Energy inks deal to supply Queensland shopping centres with solar energy from Blue Grass
Zen Energy has inked a six-year deal with Australian property fund manager ISPT to supply 14 different Queensland shopping centres and commercial properties with power from the 200 MW Blue Grass Solar Farm.
Rio approves new solar and battery storage project on Cape York
Global mining giant Rio Tinto has approved a new 12.4 MW solar farm and 2.1 MWh battery energy storage system to help power its Amrun bauxite operations near Weipa in far north Queensland.
$220 million bailout so WA coal mine can continue to mid-2026
The Western Australian government has just allocated $220 million to support Griffin coal mine, so operations may continue until June 2026. The funding was announced by Premier Roger Cook and the Minister for Energy, Mines and Petroleum Bill Johnston, who earlier announced he is stepping down from cabinet last week.
Solar productivity negatively impacted by emissions and aerosols, study finds
A study by engineers at UNSW, published in the Renewable Energy journal, shows that aerosols and greenhouse gas emissions reduce the productivity of photovoltaic installations and that this differs according to the global region.
New Zealand’s largest utility-scale solar project starts generating power
Lodestone Energy has started generating electricity at its solar farm in Kaitaia, New Zealand’s largest solar farm and first utility scale solar installation to date.
Another WA town transitions to solar and batteries
Cue, a town in Western Australia’s midwest, has installed 259 kW of solar and a 336 kWh battery system to wean itself off diesel. The installation is part of Horizon Power’s Midwest Solar Program and belongs within a much larger state-wide transformation.
Sunshine Hydro signs 20% First Nations equity deal on flagship Queensland project
Sunshine Hydro and project partner Energy Estate have signed an agreement to give First Nations stakeholders a 20% equity option in the companies’ Djandori Gung-i Superhybrid project at Miriam Vale, Queensland. The project proposes to deliver up to 600 MW of pumped hydro capacity and up to 300 MW of hydrogen electrolysers.
New research claims PV outperforms afforestation in combating climate change
Scientists from Israel have calculated how long it would take for PV plants and afforestation projects to offset their warming impacts caused by the darkening of land. The results showed that in drylands, PV fields could be over 50 times more efficient than afforestation.
Thermal storage company breaks ground on its renewable agriculture facility in NSW
Australian thermal storage company, Graphite Energy, has broken ground on its Lake Cargelligo facility in New South Wales which aims to demonstrate how renewable energy and agriculture can coexist through agrivoltaic and green house systems.
NSW coastal council and volunteers to repurpose secondhand solar panels locally
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.
