Technology

ElectraNet has announced the successful completion of the South Australian component of Project EnergyConnect, the new high-voltage transmission line between South Australia and New South Wales, marking a significant milestone in Australia’s renewable energy landscape.

NTU Singapore researchers and startup EtaVolt have presented a high-intensity illumination device that can reportedly “patch up” the holes caused by light and heat in silicon solar cells. The new technique is claimed to reduce solar module degradation by up to five years and to be usable for about 90% of the solar modules available in the market.

The Marinus Link power cable to be built between Victoria and Tasmania is a step closer to reality after the Australian Energy Regulator approved the project’s first revenue proposal, marking the planned early works spend as “prudent and efficient.”

A group of researchers in China has developed an energy management system for modular gravity storage. Compared to single block gravity storage, the modular counterpart offers more flexibility in output power, ease of mass production of related equipment and better flexibility in the selection of weights.

Longi has announced the achievement of 27.09% efficiency for its heterojunction back contact solar cell, a result that has been confirmed by Germany’s Institute for Solar Energy Research.

A team of scientists at Germany’s Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen Nürnberg has set an efficiency record of 14.46% for an organic PV module. The performance was certified by Germany’s Fraunhofer Institue for Solar Energy’s PV calibration laboratory.

Scientists in Czechia have proposed to use parallel inverters in PV systems to not only reduce instability, but also to increase power yield. The proposed approach reportedly results in higher maximum power point tracking (MPPT) performance.

Australia’s largest battery with grid-forming inverter capabilities is set to go ahead with energy major AGL announcing a final investment decision on a 500 MW, two-hour duration battery being developed in the New South Wales Hunter Valley.

Smart metering services provider Intellihub is seeking to develop digital infrastructure that will enable the orchestration of more than 150,000 otherwise scattered consumer energy generation and storage devices, helping to create more than 510 MW of flexible energy demand.

Electric vehicle charging in Australia and New Zealand has been given a boost with fund manager Pacific Equity Partners acquiring a majority stake in Australian electric vehicle charging solutions provider EVSE to the tune of $250 million (USD 167 million). The partnership also involves PEP-backed smart metering specialist Intellihub.