Research

Origin Energy has won federal government funding for a feasibility assessment on plans to double the capacity of its Shoalhaven pumped hydro scheme in New South Wales and thus allow for greater storage of renewable energy.

Sydney Water’s Bondi sewage pumping station will soon be storing solar energy through the use of 30 kWh of sodium-ion batteries, a cheaper alternative to the traditional lithium-ion batteries.

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.

Researchers at Western Australia’s Curtin University have developed a low-cost and environmentally friendly method to capture solar power and produce clean fuels such as hydrogen.

Four years ago a viral campaign wooed the world with a promise of fighting climate change and jump-starting the economy by replacing tarmac on the world’s roads with solar panels. The bold idea has undergone some road testing since then. The first results from preliminary studies have recently come out, and they’re a bit underwhelming.

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has offered funding to nine Australian universities and research organizations to propel innovation in green hydrogen export.

WA-based solar glass developer has signed an MoU with smart street sign and ‘furniture’ producer yStop to integrate its thin film solar glass into bus shelters and illuminated street signs. The MoU, signed with yStop parent Global Smart Cities, is for an exclusive distribution agreement in WA for the integration of ClearVue’s solar glass in bus shelters, and nationally in its LED-illuminated street signs.

The national science agency has issued a call for “citizen scientists“ to help it understand the way households consume, generate and interact with energy. The data will be collected by means of the new CSIRO Energise app.

Scientists at European solar research organization, Solliance have announced the achievement of 14.5% conversion efficiency on a perovskite module. The module uses a glass substrate, and the efficiency was measured on an aperture area of 144 cm².

Spatial analysis of solar potential shows that at least a third of the rooftops in the central business district of Canberra could host solar panels, thus saving on the land needed to provide a substantial proportion of city’s power needs with PV.