Technology and R&D

Developed by French start-up Ecosun, the trailer is equipped with 15 solar panels with output of 360 W and batteries with a storage capacity of 23 kWh. It can be used for construction sites, military camps and water pumping systems.

Queensland company eleXsys Energy has secured more than $450,000 to help finance a trial of next-generation technology designed to manage grid stability in low voltage areas, potentially allowing for an increase in the amount of distributed energy resources, including rooftop solar, that can be connected to the grid.

SDG&E and Sumitomo Electric complete a pilot microgrid project in California that successfully powered utility customers solely with energy stored in a flow battery.

Scientists in Korea have developed an efficient synthesis route to produce a novel co-doped anode material for rechargeable seawater batteries. They developed a one-step plasma-in-liquid process to synthesise nitrogen and sulfur co-doped carbon-based anode material, which displayed great potential for seawater batteries.

Researchers at the Australian National University say they have set a perovskite solar cell efficiency record at 22.6%. This efficiency, however, appears to be lower than that achieved in January by a group of Swiss and Korean researchers who used quantum dots to achieve an efficiency of 25.7% in an area of 0.08cm2 and 23.3% in 1cm2.

Gelion’s zinc-bromide Endure batteries will undergo commercial tests at the 1.2 MW Montes del Cierzo testing field Spanish renewable energy company Acciona Energía operates in Navarra, in the north of Spain.

South Australia has found itself at the heart of a 21st century gold rush, though this time for naturally occurring hydrogen. Since February 2021, 18 exploration licenses have been granted or applied for in the state by six different companies searching for natural hydrogen.

Western Australian ocean energy company Bombora Wave Power has received an investment of $6.74 million to deliver its pilot projects and commercialise its technology from one of the world’s largest shipping companies, Japan’s Mitsui O.S.K. Lines.

Researchers in Portugal have tested how vanadium redox flow batteries can be integrated with rooftop PV to balance the system load to ensure firm power output. They proposed a 5 kW/60 kWh battery configuration for a 6.7 kW building-integrated PV microgrid. According to their findings, the battery can be used in different energy management strategy scenarios to better complement solar photovoltaic generation.

U.S.-based hydrogen vehicle maker Hyzon has announced Melbourne will soon be home to its Australian headquarters as part of a newly formed partnership with RACV, which will see the pair develop a purpose-built facility for Hyzon out of RACV’s Noble Park operation in the city’s south east.