Grids & Integration

On September 26, the Bouldercombe battery in Queensland caught fire during its commissioning process. Now, it is being reported the battery facility is already back up and running – which isn’t quite the case, WattClarity’s Paul McArdle explains.

Melbourne-based company JET Charge has today launched its ‘Charging as a Service’ initiative, a subsidised and subscription-based electric vehicle charging solution for commercial fleets supported by ARENA.

Landowners in the path of the multi-billion-dollar HumeLink transmission project claim Transgrid is relying on flawed economics that favour overhead lines with a new report suggesting the network operator’s costings for putting the cables underground are out by almost 60%.

For those who combine solar, batteries, and electric vehicles (EVs) at home, driving on sunshine is a realistic goal. However, there are many factors to consider when analysing the economic payoffs, as well as the technical possibilities and limitations of such systems.

Researchers at Victoria’s Monash University are working to develop a tool that can be used to predict and manage system instability associated with connecting inverter-based generation such as batteries, solar, and wind into weaker parts of Australia’s national energy grid.

The Western Australian government is calling for input from industry to help drive major transmission network expansion in the South West Interconnected System as the state powers towards a large-scale, high-renewable grid of the future.

Australian technology company Infravision plans to “supercharge” the development of its drone-enabled powerline stringing system and software technology solutions after securing a “game-changing” $36 million (USD 23 million) from global energy and utility investors.

A package of major regulatory and market reforms designed to support Western Australia’s energy transformation have gone live. The changes relate to the state’s main islanded grid, known as the SWIS.

Queensland network operator Powerlink has released 40 works packages for suppliers to express their interest in working on the CopperString transmission link that is to stretch across the state’s north, helping to unlock large-scale solar and wind investment along with large deposits of minerals key to the energy transition.

Economic modelling published by independent think tank Beyond Zero Emissions shows that establishing clean industry hubs and servicing them through shared infrastructure such as transmission lines could save Australian taxpayers millions.