Technology

Researchers in New South Wales have teamed with the Dubbo Regional Council to trial a hybrid energy management system that aims to revolutionise how buildings consume, store, and distribute energy to improve efficiency while lowering costs and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.

An offshore solar farm is being deployed close to an existing wind farm as part of a project in the Dutch North Sea. The developers have recently installed an anchoring system that will hold the solar farm in place while an electrical cable connects the array to a nearby wind turbine foundation.

Researchers in China have fabricated a perovskite-TOPCon solar cell with a top perovskite device utilising a self-assembled monolayer aimed to improved cell stability. The tandem cell achieved a high fill factor and a certified efficiency of 30.9%.

Australian researchers have developed electrolysis systems that use urea sourced from urine and wastewater to generate hydrogen at “significantly lower” energy costs than traditional water-splitting methods.

Victorian startup Kite Magnetics has secured a $3.6 million investment from one of the world’s biggest producers of battery-grade lithium chemicals to scale up production of a patented nanocrystalline magnetic material designed to improve the performance of electric motors and generators.

With cost estimates for overhead transmission line projects blowing out by up to 55%, the Australian Energy Market Operator has launched formal consultation on a draft report outlining a range of new and updated transmission network developments along with distribution network augmentation options.

Scientists have placed mist nozzles inside a bifacial PV module and measured it under an extremely hot climate. The module was found to generate up to 37% more electricity on sunny days and up to 46% more on cloudy days compared to standard monofacial panels.

Schneider Electric is supporting La Trobe University in Melbourne to achieve a net zero emission target with the installation of it’s green air-based switchgear, that maintains operation without greenhouse gases.

A team of São Paulo-based researchers have found incorporating formamidinium cations into methylammonium-based lead iodide perovskite films increases the durability of perovskite solar cells when fabricated and measured under ambient conditions.

Connecting to the grid will be faster and cheaper for renewable energy generators from August 2025, when new grid access standards come into play, to meet the changing needs of electricity generation technologies.