Technology

Victorian network operator AusNet has commenced construction of a transmission network upgrade that is expected to reduce generation constraints and improve network stability in the state’s southwest, unlocking 1.5 GW of additional renewable energy generation capacity.

Authors of the “World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2023” define the future role of nuclear energy in the global energy mix as “irrelevant” and “marginal.” The authors add that there were 407 operational reactors producing 365 GW in the middle of the year, which is less than installed capacity predictions for solar by the end of the year.

GCube Insurance says that hail damage accounts for less than 2% of filed claims but constitutes more than 50% of total costs for solar facility loss claims.

Sharp’s new IEC61215- and IEC61730-certified solar panels have an operating temperature coefficient of -0.30% per C and a bifaciality factor of over 80%.

AGL and Australian battery recycling startup, Renewable Metals, have signed a deal to investigate the viability of building a lithium battery recycling facility at AGL’s envisioned Hunter Energy Hub, formally one of Australia’s most significant coal centres.

Air New Zealand has ordered an electric five-seat plane to initially use for cargo-only services, with the intention of offering passenger services in future. The company has options to buy two more of the electric planes, with rights reserved on a further 20.

Redback Technologies has announced inverters certified as compliant with Queensland’s dynamic connections for energy exports. This enables homeowners to export energy back into the grid at a flexible rate so that energy output is only limited in roughly 2% of the time when excess power from PV installations would overwhelm the grid.

Lawrence Berkeley researchers studied how solar buying decisions are influenced across varying income levels and offer rationale for policy changes and incentives to spur adoption among low- to middle-income households.

For the seventh year in the row, China-based Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. (CATL) looks set to claim the title of the world’s biggest battery maker. There are a number of reasons why it continues to maintain its lead in the electric vehicle (EV) and battery energy storage system (BESS) markets.

Australian energy giant AGL will install a nickel-hydrogen battery at its Torrens Island power station site in South Australia as it seeks to explore the potential opportunities that the technology can provide for stationary energy storage applications.