Technology and R&D

LAVO, which entered the market with its hydrogen battery in 2021, has soft launched a new Energy-as-a-Service model. Partnering with Yingli Solar, LAVO says it can install and maintain solar, battery and EV charging systems at no upfront cost to Australian households, who will then pay off the systems via a 10-year subscription.

Renewable energy investor and developer Quinbrook has launched software to allow customers to trace both the source and carbon-intensity of their electricity in real-time. The energy-tracing platform comes at an important moment, just as Australia’s government is deciding whether to include time-stamped and granular source information in its formal certificate schemes.

Ground-mounted PV is increasingly being investigated not only as a renewable generator, but as shelter for crops and creatures under fire from climate change. Last week’s All Energy conference handed the mike to some pioneers in the field.

JinkoSolar claims that its new 182 mm n-type monocrystalline silicon solar cell has reached a maximum solar conversion efficiency of 26.89%. It says the achievement has been independently verified by a third party.

Drone-mounted imaging of solar farm performance at the rate of one panel per second reduces the cost of current ground-based sampling methods by up to 20 times. Read how a new strategic Australia-Singapore partnership is helping to ensure the output of PV assets is always at peak!

Australian hydrogen technology company Star Scientific has inked an agreement to establish a joint research and manufacturing facility in the United States as it seeks to expand the market for its heat reaction technology that utilises renewable hydrogen to rapidly create heat for industrial applications.

Queensland battery company Redback Technologies offered a first look at its latest generation hybrid battery storage product at All-Energy this week, flagging it will offer special discounts to early customers when the product officially hits the market in Q2, 2024.

Belgian Solar Team Innoptus has claimed back-to-back Bridgestone World Solar Challenge titles, beating home dozens of competitors from around the world to win the 3,000 kilometre race through Australia’s outback.

Solar glass manufacturer ClearVue Technologies is poised to accelerate its global expansion plans and further the commercialisation of its technology after locking in a $30 million (USD 19 million) funding facility with Australian fund manager Alpha Investment Partners.

Victorian hydrogen company Energys has unveiled its third-generation, locally-manufactured Hydrogen Fuel Cell Generators, five of which are to provide backup power for Telstra’s remote telecommunications towers as part of a Victorian pilot. The company says it is already constructing a green hydrogen generation plant too, supported by funding from the Victorian government.