Long read: Australia’s top end eyes mega PV export
A number of massive PV projects have been proposed for Australia’s north, with the concept built around clean power exports to Southeast Asia. Is it Desertec Down Under? Proponents are certainly hoping for more success.
Green hydrogen to reach cost parity by 2030
Recent analysis from Wood Mackenzie predicts green hydrogen, produced primarily by solar electrolysis, will reach cost parity in Australia, Germany and Japan by 2030.
110 MW Darling Downs solar farm finally opens after grid connection delays
One of Australia’s largest solar farms, APA Group’s 110 MW (AC) Darling Downs Solar Farm has officially opened after significant delays resulting from grid connection issues and last-minute changes of engineering and construction partners.
The journey to NEM 2.0
Australia made its first moves to open up its energy industry in the 1990s, when the National Electricity Market (NEM) was first created, and many of the rules and regulations from back then are still in place today. But the rise of renewables in the 21st century, argues Clean Energy Investor Group Chair Rob Grant, necessitates a rethink of this market structure.
Clean energy industry fears new transmission access rules will stymie investment
The Australian Energy Market Commission’s proposed transmission access model has come under fierce criticism from the clean energy industry for being unnecessarily complex and likely to increase the cost of capital for future generation and storage investment.
South Australia’s renewables gain dispatchable back-up
South Australia’s renewables, particularly wind, have received firm dispatchable back-up as Barker Inlet Power Station begins generating energy for the first time.
Moixa reaches 100 MWh of virtual power plant capacity in Japan
The company says its network is the largest fleet of batteries under virtual power plant management worldwide.
Investors ready US$20 Million for off-grid solar projects in the energy-stricken Philippines
The Philippines is desperately hungry for rooftop solar PV as it seeks to alleviate itself of energy poverty. Pathways are finally opening up for the vast Southeast Asian nation with investors readying US$20 million to fund four new renewable projects.
New tool to assess costs and benefits of switching to green hydrogen
A result of a collaboration between global accounting and financial services firm KPMG, Canadian gas giant ATCO, Australia’s national science agency CSIRO and Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), H2City can be used to assess the costs and benefits of regional town or municipality switching to hydrogen.
South Australia set for large-scale, blockchain-enabled virtual power plant
Known for its blockchain-based peer-to-peer platform that allows energy trading between households, Power Ledger is now readying for the first large-scale commercial rollout of its technology in Australia. The Perth-based company has partnered with electricity wholesaler Powerclub to allow households to pool net solar and battery storage and act as a virtual power plant.
