News

A surge of community battery trials in Australia is seeking to make better use of the country’s vast distributed solar resource. But the results so far have battered expectations. pv magazine Australia’s Natalie Filatoff and Bella Peacock explore the motivations, challenges, and outlook for sharing and monetising solar rooftop riches.

Network operator Essential Energy has installed its first grid-scale battery energy storage system on the New South Wales electricity network as part of a “critical” trial designed to allow more renewable energy into the grid and drive better network utilisation.

Iconic Australian beer brand XXXX will be brewed using 100% clean energy after parent company Lion inked an agreement to source renewable power from Lightsource bp’s 176 MW Woolooga Solar Farm in southeast Queensland.

Australia’s large-scale solar farms generated a near-record 1,463 GWh of clean energy during the month of January, just shy of the 1,509 GWh produced in December, according to the latest data from international consultancy firm Rystad Energy.

Lightsource bp and ‘gen-tailer’ Contract Energy’s plans to build up to 380 GWh of annual generation of grid-scale PV in New Zealand by 2026 are now in motion with the companies chosen to develop what will be one of the nation’s largest solar farms on the South Island.

Ionblox says it will use $32 million of series B funding to support the buildout of a novel silicon anode electric vehicle battery.

The Bern University of Applied Sciences in Switzerland has published the initial results of a survey on the durability and performance of residential PV inverters and power optimisers over a 15-year period. They found that more than 65% of the inverters did not present yield-relevant faults by their 15th year of operation.

Rooftop solar stronghold Western Australia has been offered a glimpse of its energy future with the market operator having activated its first virtual power plant to prevent household blackouts after heatwave conditions sparked concern for the state’s main energy grid.

A 40,000 sqm factory in Virginia, Queensland, is to be powered with 100% renewable energy after Australian biscuit manufacturer Arnott’s Group signed a long-term power purchase agreement with energy generator Stanwell.

For most of us, transmitting power is an invisible part of modern life. You flick the switch and the light goes on. But the way we transport electricity is vital. For us to quit fossil fuels, we will need a better grid, connecting renewable energy in the regions with cities.