How to convert coal mine goaves into pumped hydro storage facilities
According to Chinese researchers, using abandoned coal mine goaves for pumped hydro facilities in combination with large scale solar and wind is not only technically feasible but can also provide an efficiency of 82.8% in yearly operation cases. They applied the model to wind and solar-rich northwestern and southwestern China.
Scalable turnkey solar carport solution for commercial applications
Japanese energy company Sinanen offers a scalable solar carport that can host a minimum of four vehicles and can be deployed in the parking areas of factories and commercial buildings. The basic system is offered with a minimum capacity of 10.80 kW.
Novel ways solar can and is being used at Australian airports
Airports are increasingly turning to solar to decarbonise, with ideations ranging all the way from gimmicky solar runways and “dead zone” solar pathways to very real rooftop arrays. Whatever happens, solar certainly has a place at airports with Brisbane airport saving itself somewhere between $20 million to $50 million thanks to the solar system it installed in 2019.
Australia welcomes first energy data ‘one stop shop’
Energy data provider C4NET has now opened its services up to any party with a query, streamlining data access in the interest of accelerating Australia’s transition.“First thing we’re trying to do is be a one stop shop,” James Seymour, CEO of C4NET, told pv magazine Australia.
Redox flow battery with capacity retention of 99.98% per cycle
The battery was fabricated by Chinese scientists with a low-cost electrolyte made of a derivative of TEMPO, which is a well-known electroactive aminoxyl radical used with several applications in chemistry and biochemistry. According to the researchers, the battery shows high redox potential and is crossover-free.
Queensland begins its QREZ development with a “measly” 3.3 GW allocation
The Queensland government has published its draft plan to unlock 3,300 MW, or 3.3 GW, of new renewable generation as part of the first stage of developing state’s three Renewable Energy Zones (REZs).
Is gas or storage the ideal dispatchable replacement for coal? A NSW case study
Everything you see exists together in a delicate balance. Octopus Investments Australia’s Investment Director of Energy Markets, Lumi Adisa, takes a Lion King-themed deep dive into New South Wales to find out what comes after coal.
Reuse or replace? Analysis considers all options for underperfoming PV modules
In a new report, experts from the International Energy Agency Photovoltaic Power System Programme (IEA-PVPS) have assessed the economical and environmental benefits of repairing and reusing or replacing solar modules that are not complying with a 30-year expected lifetime. They found that reusing offers the best environmental impact in all cases, while the profitability of this option is currently guaranteed only by rooftop PV under certain conditions. As for large-scale solar, module replacement remains the most competitive option.
Distribution networks set to shrink: standalone solar hybrid systems are safer, more reliable
Western Australia leads the world in successfully implementing renewables-based energy generation for far-flung customers. Unique joint venture and pioneer in the field, Boundary Power, has been widely recognised for its innovations and is ready to repeat its SAPS successes across Australia and the Asia-Pacific.
Sunday read: Crypto’s energy conundrum
In a financial world of stocks, bonds, foreign exchange, and credit cards, trillions of dollars are traded daily, with money flows handled by a bevy of databanks. In the world of cryptocurrency, billions of dollars worth of Bitcoin are traded through as many as 400,000 transactions per day, consuming the energy supply of a modernised country. The quirk is a “proof of work” feature that provides decentralised security. Is Bitcoin’s energy usage all for nothing, or is it a game-changer for renewable assets and generators? Tristan Rayner explores.
