Technology

Melbourne-based energy tech startup GreenSync has officially launched the Decentralized Energy Exchange (deX), a digital marketplace for grid services provided by rooftop solar arrays, battery storage and EVs owned by Australian homes and businesses.

The 30 MW / 30 MWh Ballarat Battery Energy Storage System has been officially commissioned by the Victorian Labor government, as the first of the two grid-scale batteries that will provide support to the Victorian grid by the start of this summer.

The tipping point, where the world shifts from oil and gas to renewables, will be the year 2035, says Wood Mackenzie. This is when renewables and electric-based technologies converge, with around 20% of global power needs being met by solar or wind, and roughly 20% of miles traveled by cars, trucks, buses and bikes using electricity. Will the transition come soon enough, however?

For renewables to claim a more sizable share of the global energy mix, the adoption of energy storage would need to pick up pace and the rapidly increasing size of the EV fleet will offer a scalable way to ramp up such access, says Fitch Solutions.

After addressing grid connection challenges, the French renewables giant has launched construction on the 256.5 MWp Kiamal Solar Farm. It is now looking to add a second stage of up to 194 MWp, and is exploring commercial options for the approved 380 MWh of energy storage.

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency announced it was partnering with Monash University and software provider Indra Australia to trial a microgrid on Monash’s Clayton campus in Melbourne. The microgrid will cover 100% of the campuses’ electricity needs with renewable energy.

The All-Energy Australia 2018 exhibition & conference kicked off in Melbourne today. Safety of products and quality assurance was prominent in discussions at the country’s largest PV conference and trade show in its early hours. Big funding announcements at the opening plenary made headlines.

At first glance, the European PV conference last week has confirmed the widespread view that the upswing of monocrystalline technology will accelerate. But a closer look reveals that multicrystalline solar cells are still in the game.

The University of New South Wales has unveiled a 500 kWh Tesla Powerpack battery at its campus as part of a ten-year energy research trial in partnership with NSW’s electricity transmission network operator TransGrid.

The Chinese-Canadian module manufacturer says its P4-based BiHiKu panel, for large commercial and utility-scale solar projects, is able to provide up to 30 per cent additional output from the rear side.