Council takes EV, rooftop PV, renewables PPA initiatives towards carbon neutrality
Victoria’s Hobson Bay City Council has announced a range of initiatives to move towards its carbon neutrality goals, including a renewable energy power purchase agreement, deployment of EV infrastructure and rooftop solar.
Monash University researchers make electrolysis breakthrough
Researchers at Monash University have managed to find a way past one of the few remaining roadblocks to producing industrial quantities of hydrogen gas through electrolysis via solar energy.
Horizon becomes first utility to replace overhead network with stand-alone solar and battery systems
Today’s project milestone saw the disconnection of the properties from overhead lines and will enable 64 kilometres of poles and wires to be replaced by off-grid solar+battery solutions.
Solar powered smart bins doing a manly job
Sydney’s iconic Shelley Beach is now home to two solar-powered smart bins, the bins are capable of compacting waste to reduce collections, thereby cutting council emissions.
NSW utility-scale battery pipeline takes shape under government funding program
Among 31 dispatchable electricity projects unveiled this week under the NSW Emerging Energy Program, utility-scale battery storage accounted for a bulk of proposals. Four big batteries have been awarded funds for pre-investment studies, and another ten have been shortlisted for capital funding.
Danish researchers bring some color to rooftop PV
Scientists led by the Technical University of Denmark have begun a project to design solar cells that can be produced in different colors with minimal effect on performance, making them suitable for building-integrated and other applications with aesthetic considerations.
New aluminum batteries for renewables storage
The devices, developed by a European research team, are said to have twice the energy density of conventional aluminum devices. The scientists used a cathode made of anthraquinone, instead of one based on graphene, increasing energy density.
Australian Capital Territory completes shift to 100% renewable electricity
Today, the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) has switched to 100% renewable electricity as it started purchasing clean power from the last stage of South Australia’s Hornsdale Wind Farm.
Two major ammonia plants powered by green hydrogen planned for Queensland
As part of a broader push to develop a domestic hydrogen industry, the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) is providing $2.9 million for two studies into using solar and wind-powered hydrogen for ammonia. Both project are located in Queensland and presently use natural gas as feedstock.
Vast Solar completes capital raise for 50 MW CSP, PV hybrid project
The Sydney-based developer has raised funding for the development of a 30 MW CSP project which will be collocated with a 20 MW PV plant. The company’s innovative technology, which uses sodium as a heat transfer fluid to capture concentrated solar energy that can then be stored and used on-demand on the utility-scale, has earned Vast Solar an international award for dispatchable renewable energy technology.
