News

Independent testing laboratory Kiwa-PVEL has published the 11th edition of its PV Module Reliability Scorecard, having extensively tested PV modules from 50 different manufacturers. The scorecard reveals improvements in energy yield per watt-peak and resistance to potential-induced degradation, but an increase in breakage under mechanical stress and hail simulations, and an overall higher failure rate are cause for concern to many.

The Western Australian government has confirmed its planned $337 million household battery rebate scheme will operate in combination with the federal government’s $2.3 billion home battery subsidy initiative, rather than applicants being able to stack the two financial incentives.

German home energy and electrification company 1Komma5° has unveiled a residential energy ecosystem for the Australian market including solar panels, hybrid inverter, and the brand’s intelligent battery energy storage solution.

UK consultancy GlobalData projected, in figures shared with pv magazine, that global renewable capacity could hit 11.2 TW by 2035, led by solar. It expects cumulative PV capacity to hit 2,378 GW by year-end and 2,849 GW by 2026.

On the surface, Queensland’s new government is doing exactly what it pledged before winning office in October – repealing the state’s ambitious renewable energy targets and cancelling a huge pumped hydro project near Mackay.

Queensland’s Wide Bay–Burnett region is continuing to build as a renewable energy hotspot with Zen Energy now seeking federal government approval to develop a 100 MW solar farm and a 200 MW battery energy storage system in the area.

The Baochi Energy Storage Station in Yunnan integrates lithium and sodium-ion technologies at scale, a global first, aiming to stabilise renewable energy and cut costs as China accelerates its energy transition.

Swiss solar cell company Meyer Burger said it filed for insolvency for its German subsidiaries, following intensive efforts to keep Meyer Burger Industries GmbH and Meyer Burger Germany GmbH operational.

Australian renewable energy market intelligence and mapping tool provder RenewMap has partnered with aerial imagery platform Nearmap in a move that provides users with access to the tech company’s high-resolution digitised content.

Australia is on the cusp of a major surge in solar battery adoption with SunWiz forecasting at least 100,000 home energy storage systems with a combined capacity of 1.2 GWh will be rolled out next year, a 38% increase on 2024’s installations.