News

Mining giant Rio Tinto will underwrite $7.5 billion of investment in new renewable energy generation and storage in Queensland after inking a deal with the federal and state governments to secure a long-term future for one of Australia’s largest aluminium smelters.

Australia and New Zealand’s electricity networks are entering a new phase of the energy transition. For more than a decade the focus has been on building renewable generation and connecting it to the grid. That effort continues, and it will remain essential. But for many network operators the harder task now lies elsewhere: managing how an increasingly complex system works together.

Spanish energy company Iberdrola’s plan to develop a 270 MW / 1,080 MWh battery energy storage system in northern New South Wales has received a boost with the state’s Independent Planning Commission giving its tick of approval.

Researchers in the United Kingdom have developed a smart window that combines switchable polymer-dispersed liquid crystal with integrated PV cells, offering controllable transparency and electricity generation. The system balances light, heat, and solar protection while maintaining high visual quality and stable performance, according to its creators.

Construction of Australia’s largest floating solar array has commenced with the first panels and pontoons assembled for a 500 kW system being installed on a water storage reservoir at Warrnambool in Victoria’s southwest.

JinkoSolar has announced the launch of a new solar module tailored specifically to meet the power density and extreme reliability needs of data centres and AI-driven computing.

Oil and gas prices are shooting up as war in the Middle East cuts down the supply of fossil fuels available, in what has been described as “the largest supply disruption in the history of oil markets.” While the effects of the energy crisis are being felt far and wide, it is making the case for renewables clear.

The Queensland government has launched a $200 million fund to support the private sector in delivering “bespoke” renewable energy generation, battery and microgrid projects across the state’s northwest.

The Nexis solution combines a flexibly configurable hybrid inverter with a modular high-voltage battery offering up to 14 kW charging capacity per stack. The inverter delivers 8–20 kW AC power, supports up to 200% DC oversizing, and features IP65-rated design with integrated backup power.

The Goulburn Community Solar Farm and battery project in New South Wales has been commissioned with Chinese manufacturing giant Trinasolar saying the milestone highlights key shifts in large-scale project delivery.