News

With Prime Minister Scott Morrison under increasing pressure to back a 2050 net-zero carbon emissions target before the United Nations’ COP26 climate conference in Glasgow at the end of the month, a new report indicates the federal government can capitalise on state and territory efforts to keep the global 1.5°C goal in play.

Mining giant BHP is poised to finalise a “bespoke” renewable energy agreement with the Australian arm of Spanish energy group Iberdrola for the 317 MW Port August Renewable Energy Park in South Australia to supply up to 50% of the miner’s electricity needs for its Olympic Dam mining operation.

A Victorian solar installer has been fined $500,000 for a string of workplace safety breaches, including a 2019 incident where a worker suffered serious injuries after falling through a skylight.

Australia’s largest wholesale solar distributor is expecting shortfalls of supply coupled with 20% to 30% cost increases as a result of the energy crisis in China. The situation in Australia is particularly fragile, pv magazine Australia was told, with our low pricing and the comparable size of our market not playing to our favour in the global battle for solar supplies.

The 210 mm module can reach a power output of up to 703.6 W and a power conversion efficiency of 23.08%. The result was confirmed by Germany’s TÜV SÜD.

The New South Wales government at long last released its hydrogen strategy today. The wait, according to hydrogen expert Andrew Horvath, has been worthwhile. He described the strategy as clever in its approach to drawing longterm hydrogen investment into the state. “It’s a little bit different the way [NSW] looked at it,” he told pv magazine Australia, refuting the strategy’s branding as less ambitious than other states.

China’s president has detailed plans to accelerate the planning and construction of large-scale wind and PV projects in desert areas, while Wuxi Shanghai announced new granular silicon and nano-silicon production capacity expansions.

India headquartered multinational Reliance Industries, through its subsidiary Reliance New Energy Solar Limited, yesterday announced the acquisition of Norway headquartered module manufacturer REC Group. The move comes as Reliance pushes forward with its US$10 billion plan to move in on the renewable energy industry, having also this week announced acquisition of a 40% share in EPC provider Sterling & Wilson.

Queensland’s ambition to become a leading producer and exporter of green hydrogen continues to gather steam with the state government announcing a large-scale solar PV and battery-powered renewable hydrogen electrolyser will be built near Chinchilla on the Darling Downs.

Green energy fund CEP.Energy is forging ahead with plans to establish itself as a renewable powerhouse, appointing Adelaide-headquartered contractor Enerven to provide engineering, procurement and construction services as it looks to accelerate its ambition to build 1.5 GW of solar and 2 GW of big battery capacity around Australia.