News

Engineers at the University of New South Wales have developed a real-time monitoring technique that reveals how silicon solar cells can self-repair following ultraviolet-induced damage, offering new insights into solar panel degradation and lifetime performance.

For the last decade, the global conversation around electric vehicles (EVs) has focused almost entirely on adoption. Targets, incentives, charging stations and sales figures have dominated headlines. The EV transition is happening daily, at street level, across the Asia-Pacific region and beyond. Yet a far less glamorous question is now becoming just as important as how many EVs we sell: what happens when their batteries are no longer good enough for the road?

Australian manufacturer Siltrax will push forward with the commercialisation of its silicon-based hydrogen fuel cell technology after securing the tick of approval from international testing, inspection, and certification body TÜV Rheinland.

A new report from Wood Mackenzie identifies five key trends the global research and consultancy group expects will define the energy storage industry in 2026, including supply chain restructuring and the rise of non-lithium batteries.

Space-based solar could power AI more efficiently than on Earth, with full-scale deployment possible in two to three years, Elon Musk says SpaceX’s Starship launch vehicle and its reusable rockets aim to sharply reduce space access costs, enabling solar-powered AI satellites and potentially large-scale extraterrestrial energy infrastructure.

Plans for a 250 MW solar and 350 MWh battery energy storage project proposed for Queensland’s Western Downs region are now available for public comment as developer Pacific Partnerships seeks a green tick from the federal government.

A new wireless, Wi-Fi-connected solar solution featuring three Sungrow 100 kW inverters is now allowing more than 300 kW of solar generation to be dynamically balanced across distribution boards throughout a school on the mid-north coast of New South Wales, significantly offsetting grid electricity use.

With silver prices rising, more large solar manufacturers are expected to switch to copper for cell metallization. Radovan Kopecek of ISC Konstanz tells pv magazine that he expects the entire industry to follow. Ning Song of the University of New South Wales says a small efficiency tradeoff may be acceptable if the cost savings are significant and do not introduce new reliability risks.

The Chinese firm has unveiled its latest energy storage solution, the ENERpro-LFP48300, equipped with a 48V, 300 Ah lithium battery. The company boasts a lifespan of more than 9,500 cycles at a high 95% depth of discharge.

Central Queensland Power has submitted its 450 MW solar and 450 MW / 3.6 GWh Wooderson Solar Development hybrid project in the Gladstone region for federal EPBC approval.