202 MW New Zealand agrisolar project reaches financial close
The Harmony Energy and First Renewables joint venture have approved the final investment and successfully completed financial close on the 202 MW Tauhei Solar Farm on Aotearoa New Zealand’s North Island.
Planets align for Australia’s first live DER integration into wholesale markets
Manager of Western Australia’s South West Interconnected System Western Power has been allocated $20.8 million from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency for its Project Jupiter, which for the first time in Australia will integrate a live distributed energy resources marketplace with wholesale markets.
Distributed solar on a roll breaking output records nationwide in Q4
Like a gift that keeps on giving across Australia’s electricity markets, distributed solar has punched yet again above its weight to break records in the close out of 2024, according to a new report from the Australian Energy Market Operator.
Testing shows BIPV using patterned glass performs better than expected
Scientists have compared conventional PV modules to self-made BIPV panels with thicker, patterned glass. They tested them both under standard conditions and outdoors under Korean summer conditions. Yield was found to be only 0.5% lower in the textured BIPV module.
Communities hit by outages get solar powered energy hubs for backup
Solar powered energy hubs are ready to help keep the lights on for 24 Victorian communities as part of a $7.5 million state government program to build energy resilience when faced with prolonged outage.
Solar pioneer Andrew Blakers AO named on Australia Day honours list
A co-inventor of the passivated emitter and rear cell silicon solar cell technology, Professor Andrew Blakers, has been appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia on the 2025 Australia Day Honours list.
Vena flicks switch on ‘benchmark’ solar and storage facility
Vena Energy is claiming a milestone for the Australian power market with the successful commissioning of a 41.5 MW battery energy storage system as part its Tailem Bend 2 solar-plus-storage project in South Australia.
Large-scale solar delivers generation high
Large-scale solar farms across Australia generated a record 16.2 TWh of clean energy in 2024, delivering a near 7% increase on the previous year and taking the contribution from renewables to a new record high.
CEFC unlocks $13.3 billion in six months to supercharge clean energy economy
The Australian government’s Clean Energy Finance Corporation is on track to deliver $13.3 billion in investment across the renewable energy economy, after closing off $3.8 billion in new commitments in the six months to December 2024.
Scientists build 23.2%-efficient lead-tin perovskite solar cell with improved lifetime
The researchers built the cell with a hole transport layer (HTL) based on PEDOT:PSS and were reportedly able to reduce the losses caused by this compound with the utilisation of a thiocyanate additive. The champion lab-sized device achieved an open circuit voltage of 0.875 V, a short circuit current density of 31.84 mA cm−2, and a fill factor of 83.23%.
