Saturday read: Scaling up standalone power systems
As technology redefines the delivery of network services, grid operators in remote areas the world over are searching for more cost-effective and reliable alternatives to traditional poles and wires. Standalone power systems are the solar application that is at the forefront of the switch, and they’re ramping up fast.
CSIRO commits to net zero emissions target
Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization plans to use its Newcastle Energy Centre – home to the largest high-concentration solar array in the Southern Hemisphere – as a demonstration site for its newly announced net-zero emissions targets.
Australian scientists set out to use wastewater for green hydrogen electrolysis
Australia has the sun, the wind and the space to become one of the world’s green hydrogen export superpowers in coming decades. However, the Sunburnt Country does have a dearth of one ingredient in the green hydrogen equation – freshwater. Thankfully, researchers from Monash University and a group of national water utilities are joining forces to find a way to use wastewater for the process of electrolysis.
Dubai project promises ‘customised, walkable’ building PV
The new headquarters planned by DEWA is intended to consume no more annual electricity than it generates, from a large volume of rooftop and building-integrated PV.
Twiggy Forrest’s green hydrogen ambitions will require renewables at 3x Australia’s total energy consumption
In a campaign style speech, Andrew ‘Twiggy’ Forrest, founder of Fortescue Metals and one of Australia’s richest men, outlined his ambition of producing mammoth quantities of green hydrogen, a task he sees as imperative to stop the “planet cooking” while also cornering a market he believes will soon be worth trillions.
Union boss says renewable industries must do better by workers: ‘they’re fighting because they’re proud of their legacy’
President of the Australian Council of Trade Unions, Michele O’Neil, says renewables industries have fallen short in their treatment of workers and urgently need to do more to provide quality jobs which are secure and fairly paid.
How solving energy poverty could afford renewables a twofold opportunity
Solar as a solution to poverty – it’s the route Brisbane-based charity SolarBuddy is taking, bringing Australian school children with it. Crucially though, the charity’s founder Simon Doble told pv magazine Australia it’s also a unique opportunity to learn about the rollout of clean technologies unencumbered.
Melbourne PhD students pioneering new method of recycling li-ion batteries
Three PhD students from Melbourne are moving their research into recycling lithium-ion batteries from the labs into pitch meetings, vying to become one of the first companies in Australia to recover the metals and minerals from spent batteries. Their method, they say, is simpler, less toxic and more cost competitive than those widely used.
WA to install the country’s longest electric highway
Western Australia will install electric vehicle (EV) stations at 45 new locations, creating a fast charging network spanning more than 3,000kms.
Energy giant’s $2.06 billion loss labelled a ‘Titanic’ failure
Australia’s largest energy retailer AGL has blamed an “extremely challenging market” prompted in part by the ongoing penetration of renewables, including rooftop solar PV, after reporting a $2.06 billion full-year net loss.
