Technology

Federal energy minister Chris Bowen has submitted rule changes to the Australian Energy Market Commission to begin reforming how transmission projects in Australia are approved – a process which has drawn wide ire. While Bowen says he is “fast-tracking” the changes, some say the reforms slated for November are minor and overdue.

Australian gravity storage startup Green Gravity will build an R&D facility Bluescope’s Port Kembla Steelworks. The company is aiming to prove its technology, which rests on moving weighted objects through disused mine shafts, via the facility with construction to begin this month.

The Australian government has been urged to “look to the future” when establishing the parameters for a $1 billion (USD 670 million) funding package that will offer low-cost finance for people wanting to upgrade their home’s energy efficiency with products such as solar panels and high-performing electric appliances.

Powered by installation robots, on-site assembly line and digital twin software, the Terabase automated power plant construction system aims to boost productivity and cut construction costs.

Hungarian company SolServices has published a white paper outlining ways to make solar farms more compatible with nature and wildlife, from insects and amphibians to birds, bats, rodents and big game.

AUKUS has been widely hailed as Australia’s largest-ever defence investment and the Quad as a new focus for defence strategy – but what do they mean for our energy landscape? SMA’s Joshua Birmingham argues it’s time to look beyond defence cost and grow our relationships to fight the climate change war.

A new report from the South Asia Regional Energy Partnership (SAREP) of the United States Agency for International Development, better known as USAID, says India’s green hydrogen demand will reach 2.85 million metric tonnes (MMT) per year by 2030.

An industry survey led by SolarReviews and NABCEP found two-thirds of solar installers expect high electricity prices to drive demand.

Construction has been completed on what is, for now, New South Wales’ largest battery system. The 150 MW / 300 MWh Riverina and Darlington Point energy storage systems are made up of three co-located units and owned by private equity fund manager Federation Asset Management and Edify Energy.

University of New South Wales researchers have identified four failure modes caused by damp heat in heterojunction solar panels with a glass-back sheet configuration. The failures could result in power losses ranging from 5% to 50%.