New tech that turns waste into battery-grade graphite lands support
Technology that promises to transform waste carbon into battery-grade graphite in less than 10 seconds is among the initiatives being backed by a multi-million-dollar venture fund established by Western Australia’s Curtin University.
South Australia trials energy-smart homes to ease pressure on grid
An ‘Australian first’ demonstration of aggregated flexible demand in residential settings will be rolled out in South Australia with the state’s principle electricity distributor to deliver smart energy upgrades for 500 households as part of a pilot program that aims to coordinate power usage to better support the grid.
Researchers roll out algorithms to target underperforming panels
A team of Australian researchers has developed multi-stage algorithms they say can remotely detect and accurately diagnose underperforming solar panels in residential and commercial PV systems.
Lithium-sulphur battery player claims to have nailed safety standards
Queensland battery tech company Li-S Energy claims to have taken a significant step towards proving the safety of its semi-solid-state lithium sulfur batteries with the third-generation technology successfully passing a series of nail penetration tests.
Australian researchers reveal new quality monitoring method for rooftop and large-scale PV
An Australian research group has used an SMA inverter to switch the operating point of a PV array and has demonstrated its ability to create photoluminescence images for both rooftop and large-scale solar installations.
UNSW researchers warn of surprising TOPCon solar module vulnerabilities
Researchers at the University of New South Wales claim to have identified three TOPCon panel failure types that are absent in PERC products. They explained that these failures may occur when the modules are exposed to high humidity and contaminants before encapsulation.
Grass is greener on Acen’s New England Solar Farm
The first stage of Acen Australia’s planned 720 MW New England Solar Farm is home to more than 6,000 sheep that are grazing beneath the panels in a proof-of-concept agrivoltaics project that has no-one sitting on the fence regarding the results.
Trina Solar claims 740 W output for TOPCon PV module
The Chinese manufacturer said Germany’s TÜV SUD has confirmed the results.
ANU partners with Aussie startup CQSola on solar-to-hydrogen research
Australian National University researchers will put their heads together with Queensland tech company CQSola to find ways to accelerate commercialisation of a direct solar-to-hydrogen system as part of a newly funded project.
Report shows car batteries can optimise power grid
A report commissioned by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency has found that if 10% of the nation’s vehicles are electric and utilise vehicle-to-grid connections, they could reduce peak electricity demand at local substations by 6% and save car owners hundreds of dollars per year on charging costs.
