News

Clean-energy advocates have slammed Energy Minister Angus Taylor’s proposal to underwrite investment in new “firm” generation capacity as a “coal-preservation fund”. The first formal outing of the policy appears vague, non-binding, and heading perhaps in the wrong direction.

The New South Wales Department of Planning and Environment has given the green light to a massive solar farm coupled with a utility-scale energy storage facility. The project proposed by Edify Energy is valued at $407 million.

The Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) is upping its equity investment in large scale renewables by almost 40%. The CEFC announced today a $100 million investment in the Infrastructure Capital Group’s (ICG) Australian Renewables Income Fund (ARIF).

SMA Solar technology AG has announced that around 425 full time jobs or 12.8% of its global workforce will be lost as part of its restructuring efforts. The PV inverter manufacturer will also discontinue operations in China, preferring to refocus its efforts on Germany.

The U.S. module maker projects 5.4 to 5.6 GW of solar module shipments next year, more than double its current projected 2018 volumes of 2.6 to 2.7 GW.

As part of its Roadmap to Renewables Plan and transition to 50% renewable energy by 2030, the NT government is set to roll out rooftop solar on up to 25 schools across the state over the next three years.

The New South Wales government has launched its ambitious pumped hydro roadmap designed to back the rising level of wind and solar in the energy mix. Meanwhile, the board of government-owned energy provider Snowy Hydro has given the green light to its landmark $4 billion pumped hydro expansion project, Snowy 2.0.

A new three-phase residential inverter and battery solution will be introduced to the Australian market in the new year. Fronius and BYD underlined their collaborative agreement when representatives of the two companies met “recently” in Austria. Fronius believes the solution is the first of its kind to provide “this type of emergency power supply.”

Perovskite solar cell specialist Greatcell Solar has failed to secured refinancing for its activities and has been forced to appoint administrators. The company lays the blame at the federal government’s door, pointing to the R&D rebate changes and policy settings that are unsupportive of renewable energy investment as the reasons behind its downfall.

The federal government has launched a strategy seeking investment to unlock Australia’s potential in lithium-ion battery manufacturing. Noting that the nation’s mineral reserves cover 90% of the elements required in li-ion battery chemistry, the new Austrade report underlines that Australia is well-positioned to become a world leader in this fast growing market.