Research

Australia’s national science agency will lead a ‘smart buildings’ pilot project that has the potential to create a new ecosystem of technologies and solutions to support flexible demand for energy, offering a way to ease pressure on the grid during peak demand periods.

The average size of rooftop solar systems installed in Australia has climbed to a new high with data analysis from the Australian Energy Council showing the typical unit size is now averaging more than 9 kW.

Developers of large-scale PV projects in Australia are being told it is of the utmost importance that they plan for increased frequency of sudden solar power fluctuation events – known as ramps – with new research suggesting that climate change may affect the future stability of grid-connected solar power systems.

Western Australian renewables company Provaris Energy has advanced its Tiwi H2 green hydrogen export project planned for the Tiwi Islands in the Northern Territory with the design feasibility report for the proposed solar farm and transmission system now complete.

Horizon Power, Western Australia’s regional power provider, will deploy a 78 kW/220 kWh vanadium flow battery in the state’s north as it seeks to increase its understanding of how the Australian-born technology can be best utilised to support long periods of 100% renewable energy supply in regional and remote areas.

A team of engineers at Melbourne’s RMIT University have developed a rechargeable ‘proton battery’, claiming the technology has the potential, with further development, to store more energy than currently available lithium-ion batteries.

Solar modules are evaluated in the Renewable Energy Test Center annual PV Module Index.

Australian natural hydrogen explorer Gold Hydrogen plans to start drilling on South Australia’s Yorke Peninsula later this year after early testing at its maiden Ramsay project site detected the presence of naturally occurring hydrogen in soil samples.

The SeaVolt consortium says it will launch an offshore floating PV demonstrator off the Belgian port of Ostend. The main companies – Tractebel, DEME, Equans and Jan De Nul – say the anchored floating array will collect data for at least a year to scale up the tech.

A team of engineers at the University of New South Wales say they have developed a new, more effective method for recycling end-of-life solar panels that allows them to quickly and efficiently separate 99% of PV cell component materials.