News

Increased demand and continual outages at gas and coal power plants in Queensland have seen a rise in the occurrence of extreme price spikes. The timing of these spikes, typically at peak hours between 5pm and 8pm, are seeing solar revenues soar just as the sun is setting.

The UK Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has published new research showing that hydrogen leaks could have an indirect climate-warming impact, partly offsetting efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

Indian renewable energy developer Greenko Group has partnered with Belgium’s John Cockerill to develop a green hydrogen electrolyser factory with a capacity of 2GW per annum. The partnership will also see the two companies jointly develop large-scale green hydrogen projects in India.

To encourage industry to consider the battery mineral opportunities currently sitting in neglected heaps around the country, Geoscience Australia and its partners are developing an Atlas of Australian Mine Waste. The public database hopes to highlight the opportunity in reprocessing mining waste for new markets.

Water-from-air technology company Aqua Aerem’s Desert Bloom green hydrogen project received Major Project Status from the Northern Territory Government last year, now it has announced a partnership with Japanese energy giant Osaka Gas which not only brings the 10GW project closer to reality, but has also seen the company boost its ambitions to 20GW in light of “quickly developing demand.”

The global battery energy storage market will grow to US$10.84 billion (AU$14.54 billion) in 2026, with around two-thirds of the demand concentrated in the Asia Pacific region.

US researchers have proposed the use of hydraulically fractured oil and gas wells to store renewable energy via compressed natural gas, with the levelised cost of storage potentially coming in at US$70/MWh and US$270/MWh. They said wells could also be used to store other renewable gases such as carbon dioxide or hydrogen in the future.

Solar data company Solargis has released 10-year solar performance maps showing Australia’s massive variations in irradiance and the impacts of extreme weather patterns and events.

Western Australia’s Pinjarra alumina refinery, run by US giant Alcoa and Alumina Ltd, has been granted $8.6 million to test electric calcination, a process which could significantly reduce refineries’ footprints. The grants awarded add up to almost half of the pilot’s costs.

Sydney company CST Composites is seeking to establish Australia’s first hydrogen vessel manufacturing facility, looking to secure its position in the rapidly growing industry through a joint venture with a US-based hydrogen storage tank manufacturer.