News

The GWh-scale long-duration energy storage project is expected to reduce curtailment in Xinjiang, a region of China with high solar and wind generation, and transmission bottlenecks. The flow battery installation is co-located with a PV plant.

Plans to generate up to 80% of the Western Australia coastal town of Exmouth’s power from renewable energy sources are progressing well with all 16,700 PV panels installed at a new 9.6 MW solar farm.

UNSW researchers developed an experimentally validated model linking UV-induced degradation in TOPCon solar cells to hydrogen transport, charge trapping, and permanent structural changes in the passivation stack. They show that thicker aluminum oxide layers significantly improve UV resilience by limiting hydrogen migration, offering clear guidance for more robust TOPCon designs.

The first stage of the biggest approved battery project in Australia is now fully operational with Origin Energy announcing the initial stage of the 700 MW / 3,160 MWh battery energy storage system being built next to its Eraring coal-fired generator in New South Wales has commenced commercial operations.

China’s Astronergy says its ASTRO N7 Pro module targets utility-scale PV plants and commercial rooftops, offering quarter-cell architecture, bifacial gains, and a 30-year performance guarantee.

More than 1.2 GWh of new behind-the-meter energy storage capacity was installed across Australia last month as households and businesses sought to take advantage of the federal government’s revised $7.2 billion Cheaper Home Batteries Program.

Oil and gas explorer Pilot Energy has expanded its renewables ambitions, teaming with Hong Kong-headquartered SN Energy Group to jointly develop a hybrid solar and battery energy storage project on land in Western Australia previously earmarked for a 376 MW solar farm.

The Western Australian government has opened a new round of funding under its $37 million Clean Energy Future Fund with $9 million available to back “practical” clean energy projects that help diversify and decarbonise the state’s economy.

Federal Energy Minister Chris Bowen insists Australia is on track to meet the government’s flagship target of 82% renewable energy by 2030 after solar, wind, and other renewables supplied about 50% of all power in the electricity grid in the final quarter of 2025.

China’s Longi says it will begin mass production of base-metal PV modules in the second quarter of 2026 as rising silver prices intensify pressure to reduce metallisation costs.