Technology

Research has found even short-lived, 10 to 15-year solar panels could provide enough return for bankable projects. The researchers believe panel costs, coupled with an industry mindset now fixed on the final solar energy price rather than costs per kilowatt installed, may open opportunities for PV products currently snubbed because of a short lifecycle.

While short of impressive in terms of size, the 9 MW project located near Moree is touted as one of Australia’s smartest solar farms. The project features both DC optimisers and DC coupled battery for central inverters.

The 95 MW solar farm in South Australia has become the first semi-dispatched renewable energy project in the National Electricity Market to switch from the Australian Energy Market Operator forecasting tool to the self-forecasting model.

From the September edition of pv magazine Australia’s large-scale solar boom faces serious constraints in the form of a long and skinny electricity network – making some ideal sites unattractive to project developers. Legacy regulations and a lack of transparency have also caused last-minute roadblocks and costly delays for developers. How did transmission capacity and […]

Canada’s Hydrostor has closed US$37 million (AU$54,6 million) in growth financing. The company plans to use the funding to complete construction of the 5 MW/10 MWh Angas Project in South Australia and to advance its 2 GW pipeline of large-scale advanced compressed air energy storage projects.

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) is allocating $460,500 in funding to investigate opportunities for using renewables in process heating in manufacturing.

The Australian National University (ANU) has launched a new research project to provide a blueprint by which Australia can look to install itself as the renewable energy powerhouse of the region. The project raises both political and feasibility questions about Australia’s economic future.

MIT scientists claim to have created a material 10 times more black than anything witnessed to date. It is said to be able to absorb more than 99.96% of incoming light and reflect 10 times less light than other superblack materials. The invention may be interesting for the development of black silicon PV technology and carbon nanotube-based solar cells.

Western Australia-based solar glass developer ClearVue has announced it is now able to produce larger floor-height sized power-generating insulated glass units and window panels. The company hopes this will open new sales opportunities.

GE Renewable Energy has been chosen to supply a massive battery for the 200 MW Solar River Project in South Australia.