Technology

Growatt is taking pre-sale orders for the Infinity 1300, a lithium iron phosphate battery with 3,000-plus cycle life.

Australian company Pure Hydrogen will showcase its ‘Taurus’ hydrogen fuel cell prime mover at the Brisbane Truck Show in May. The demonstration will be immediately followed by a trial at PepsiCo Australia, which will use the truck at one of its Brisbane manufacturing sites.

A newly-launched New Zealand startup claims its catalyst layer technology reduces the amount of iridium and platinum needed for electrolysis by a factor of 25. The startup, a spinout from a research institute, has raised NZD 2.5 million ($2.3m/USD 1.55m) in a seed funding round.

Finance consultancy explains in a new report that the levelised cost of green hydrogen (LCOH) is well below USD 2/kg with subsidies. Using either PEM and alkaline electrolysers, green hydrogen normally has a lower levelised cost than pink hydrogen. Meanwhile, Australian authorities are trying to increase the competitiveness of the local hydrogen sector, and car companies are updating their fuel cell plans.

Dutch startup Airturb has developed a 500 W hybrid wind-solar power system featuring a vertical axis wind turbine and a solar base hosting four 30 W solar panels. The system can be used for rooftop or off-grid applications.

Researchers at Macquarie University in Sydney have developed a new microwave technology that could advance solar-cell production by improving manufacturing processes and making them easier to recycle.

Salgenx has developed a way to produce graphene on demand from its saltwater flow battery. The tech exploits the electrochemical properties of the battery’s cathode to exfoliate graphite into individual layers of graphene. The company says it can produce graphene for less than USD 1.25 ($1.85) per gram, providing storage businesses with an additional revenue stream.

The federal government is increasing its investment in green hydrogen and low-emissions steel with $50 million in research and development funding to help progress the technologies as a new report warns that Australia must act quickly or risk being left behind in the race to become a renewable energy superpower.

In a strongly-worded submission, two experts claim AEMO’s backbone interconnector proposed between Victoria and New South Wales is a “monumental mistake” and relies on analysis that is “biased, flawed and in parts dishonest.”

The China Academy of Metrology and Science has certified Jolywood’s 26.7% efficiency rating for an n-type tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) solar cell, which the company claims is a world record. In November 2022, it announced a 26.1% efficiency rating for a similar cell.