News

Growth in Australia’s renewable energy sector is strong with 43 GW of new utility scale generation and storage projects working through the National Electricity Market connection process but concerns remain that uncertainties surrounding approval processes could impact investor confidence.

Analysis by solar and storage market consultancy SunWiz has identified the most popular brand of battery energy storage systems in the Australian market with Chinese manufacturers leading the way.

A team of researchers from the University of New South Wales is confident it can get silicon solar cells to a power conversion efficiency above 30% by integrating a process that splits particles of light, or photons, into two smaller energy chunks.

A 30 kW solar array featuring GoodWe’s lightweight Galaxy series solar panels has been ‘glued’ atop a six-storey residential building on Queensland’s Gold Coast to provide a no-penetration solution that preserves the integrity of the rooftop.

Researchers in Malaysia have proposed a new approach to identify the optimal power sizing ratio to balance PV energy capture with inverter costs. The calibrated model is said to accurately reflect the relationship between inverter efficiency and real-world system behavior.

Global tracker shipments reached 92 GWdc last year, according to WoodMackenzies’ latest report, with three United States-based manufacturers, Nextracker, Array Technologies and GameChange Solar, ranking as the three largest shippers in the world.

As bifacial modules proliferate, estimations of albedo are becoming more important and with developers not prepared to install weather stations to assess solar resource, a popular option has become third-party, on-site measurements over periods as short as a day. Is this an acceptable compromise between costly on-site measuring and less accurate satellite data? Everoze’s Stefan Mau discusses the potential benefits and limitations of this approach.

Mining giant Fortescue Metals Group has begun commissioning its 100 MW solar farm at the North Star Junction south of Port Hedland in Western Australia, as the company progresses toward a target of real zero by 2030.

South Australian company Accolade Wines has entered into a power purchase agreement for its Berri Estates facility with gentailer Origin Zero that will own, operate and maintain a rooftop solar array of 4,800 panels at the regional site.

New South Wales government efforts to stabilise the grid through an incentive scheme offering battery rebates has caused a lull in battery uptake and installations while some consumers wait another four months for the rebate to kick in.