Technology and R&D

Australian battery and electric vehicle tech company 3ME Technology has teamed with United States-based South 8 Technologies to develop lithium-ion battery solutions utilising liquefied gas electrolyte-enabled cells for extreme cold weather and Arctic applications.

New South Wales-based thermal energy storage system developer MGA Thermal intends to rapidly scale its manufacturing capacity and commercial capability after securing $17 million in new funding.

Australia’s transition to clean industry could unlock approximately $300 billion in economic opportunity if action is taken to deliver a pipeline of 70 projects, according to a new briefing from two global alliances pushing to decarbonise large scale industry.

An international collaboration plans to set up floating solar microgrids in remote Asia-Pacific locations to charge high-tech electric hydrofoil ferries and help island communities break diesel fuel dependence.

The Chinese manufacturer said its new back-contact module delivers up to 545 W and over 25% efficiency in a compact rooftop format for residential, C&I, and off-grid applications.

Construction has officially started on Octopus Australia’s Blind Creek Solar Farm and battery project in southern New South Wales, one of the biggest DC-coupled hybrid projects being developed in the country.

The Chinese manufacturer has launched a fire-resistant version of its Hi-MO X10 module for distributed PV applications, featuring back-contact technology and up to 24.8% efficiency. The company says the module adds enhanced fire-safety design to address rooftop PV risks such as hot spots and DC arcing.

In an interview with pv magazine, Empa scientist Mirjana Dimitrievska explains that the CIGS photovoltaic technology, while promising for efficiency and flexible applications, faces persistent challenges in scaling lab-level performance to cost-effective, high-throughput industrial production, limiting its ability to compete with crystalline silicon. She also emphasizes that long-term stability, reliability, and material sustainability, rather than peak efficiency, are crucial for commercial viability, especially in niche markets like building-integrated and lightweight PV.

The Chinese manufacturer said its new three residential battery lines support a depth of discharge of 90% and deliver over 6,000 cycles.

The energy storage efficiency of 12 solar storage systems with capacities of 5 kW or 10 kW has been put to the test, including several new products, all of which achieved efficiency class A. The latest interation of the annual study also examined efficiency losses when storing electricity from the grid and took a closer look at the warranty conditions of the devices.