Most popular solar panel, inverter brands for 2021 revealed
SunWiz analysis has found the most popular brands of solar panel and inverters in the Australian market, as well as how their popularity shifted throughout the quarters. In total, 5.2 GW of solar was installed in Australia in 2021, putting the country’s cumulative tally at 26.9 GW.
International partnership pushes Western Australian vanadium electrolyte plant toward reality
Western Australian vanadium explorer Technology Metals Australia and Japanese vanadium redox flow battery producer LE System have decided to tighten their relationship with an expanded Memorandum of Understanding that could see the construction of Australia’s first fully integrated vanadium electrolyte plant proximate to renewable energy hubs and major Australian population centres.
Fortescue acquires Williams Advanced Engineering in drive to win race to net zero
Fortescue Future Industries has acquired Williams Advanced Engineering for $310 million as it looks to capitalise on its critical battery technology to cut emissions from its mining vehicles. An offshoot of the Williams Formula 1 Team, Williams Advanced Engineering has already helped to develop an electric mining haul truck for Fortescue in 2021.
Building materials company Bowens invests $1.2 million in solar and sustainability future
Victoria’s Bowens has invested $1.2 million in a large scale rooftop solar installation along with power factor correction units in order to cut its carbon emissions and promote sustainable practices in the construction sector. With new home builds and renovations surging across Australia, it is not just residential rooftops that can make an impact on the nations’ carbon footprint, but commercial rooftops as well.
Chinese solar industry may reach 500 GW module capacity by year end
According to Asia Europe Clean Energy (Solar) Advisory (AECEA), this huge capacity may not be met by actual demand in the global market. Furthermore, the consultancy reveals that solar module prices should reach a price level of up to RMB 1.75 (US$028)/W by the second half of the year, and that in 2021 new PV additions totalled 53 GW with more than half of this capacity being delivered by distributed generation.
Western Australian solar farm leads way in performance stakes
SUN Energy’s 100 MW Merredin Solar Farm in Western Australia has emerged as the country’s best performing utility PV project in 2021 with international consultancy firm Rystad Energy noting it delivered an average capacity factor of 29.6% for the calendar year.
Researchers claim new efficiency record for solar cell technology
Researchers in Singapore claim to have set a new record for the power conversion efficiency of perovskite/organic tandem solar cells, paving the way for flexible, lightweight, low cost and ultra-thin PV cells.
Australian miner’s lithium ambitions cop a battering
Anglo-Australian mining giant Rio Tinto’s ambition to become one of the world’s largest lithium suppliers has taken a battering with the Serbian government pulling the plug on the company’s $3.3 billion ($US2.4 billion) Jadar lithium-borates project.
Genex heads underground on 250 MW/2 GWh pumped hydro project
Renewable energy developer Genex Power has announced that construction of a bold engineering project that will transform a retired gold mine site in north Queensland into a 250 MW/2 GWh pumped hydro energy storage facility is now ahead of schedule with underground works having commenced.
TOPCon vs PERC
TOPCon solar cells are on their way to fully compete with PERC solar products, according to recent research from Germany’s Fraunhofer ISE. Efficiency gains for the TOPCon concept, however, are necessary to help it capture more market share, as production costs remain higher than those for PERC tech. A series of cost-driven strategies to make TOPCon modules advance were outlined in the study.
