News

The German-headquartered project developer has signed a deal with Pacific Energy’s subsidiary Contract Power to build a hybrid renewable energy project that will power the town of Esperance.

According to a new report from the International Energy Agency (IEA), health risks from lead in crystalline silicon PV panels are one order of magnitude — or about one-tenth — below the risk levels set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Perth-based graphite anode producer Talga has allied itself with European lithium-ion battery giant Farasis Energy Group as the market in Europe for sustainably sourced electric vehicles continues its rapid rise.

Australia’s Chief Scientist Dr Alan Finkel has claimed Australia will remain dependent on gas for up to another 30 years as it seeks to transition to a renewables-dominated grid.

Solar, wind and energy storage companies have until June 5 to express interest in building parts of the 3 GW renewable energy zone in New South Wales.

A research project in the Netherlands is seeking to assess the impact of large scale PV projects on soil quality and biodiversity. Principal scientist Wim Sinke, of Dutch research center TNO, says well-designed and operated and maintained solar parks could prove to have better outcomes than monoculture farming.

In 2019, renewables continued to undermine the dominance of coal on the Australian grid and surged on the back of a massive 46% year-on-year jump in solar power, according to the latest data from the federal Energy Department.

Work on the long-awaited 280-megawatt Cultana Solar Farm in South Australia could begin as early as July.

Australia has certainly demonstrated its appetite for solar power. Now, with the average lifespan of a solar panel being approximately 20 years, many installations from the early 2000’s are set to reach end-of-life. Will they end up in landfill or be recycled? The cost of recycling is higher than landfill, and the value of recovered materials is smaller than the original, so there’s limited interest in recycling. But given the presence of heavy metals, such as lead and tin, if waste is managed poorly, we’re on track for another recycling crisis. A potential time bomb could present itself as an opportunity, however, if the global EV industry showed an interest in the recovered solar products.

Following hot on the heels of Sun Cable’s awarding of its unprecedented cable route survey contract to Guardian Geomatics Pty. Ltd., the company has also announced planning approval for a Darwin megabattery to form an integral part of its Australia-ASEAN Power Link.