Technology

Queensland’s Darling Downs region is set for its second large-scale solar project to gain grid connection in a matter of months as Risen Energy’s 100 MW Yarranlea Solar Farm connects to the grid for its staging procedures.

The 25MW/52MWh battery at the Lake Bonney wind farm is in the final stages of testing and close to full commercial operation. Once operational, the big Tesla battery will supply the electric car maker’s Australia EV supercharger network with renewable electricity.

Wellington Harbour, NZ, will see the Southern Hemisphere’s first zero-emissions electric commuter ferry.

Australia’s utility-scale renewable energy sector is set for a record year with 3.6 GW of projects expected to complete commissioning in 2020, Rystad Energy finds. This comprises 1.96 GW in utility PV projects and 1.57 GW in wind developments, with the remaining 0.1 GW coming from batteries.

Investment in Australian renewable energy capacity fell 40% in 2019 down from record-breaking levels seen in the year before, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF). Spending on large-scale renewables dropped dramatically due to network woes and long-term policy uncertainty but was ameliorated by the rooftop solar segment’s record growth.

The Australian government has opened the Critical Minerals Facilitation Office as it looks to develop a large-scale critical mineral industry to stably supply the world the critical minerals needed for batteries, solar panels, and smartphones.

A study from Finland’s Lappeenranta University of Technology has predicted solar and other renewables can provide a global energy jobs revolution – just as four European operations revealed recent struggles.

The Chinese manufacturer said the result was confirmed by Germany’s TÜV Rheinland. The achievement beats the company’s previous record of 21.65%, set last month.

Australia has seen the first decline in annual emissions since 2015 thanks to record levels of renewable energy but if continued at the present rate the 2030 Paris target would be met some 68 years after the deadline, according to Ndevr Environmental.

Researchers from the City University of Hong Kong have developed an all-inorganic perovskite cell with an electron-pair donor which offers a pair of non-bonding electrons. The cell was developed by applying that ‘Lewis base’ small molecule to passivate the inorganic perovskite film.