News

Australia’s renewable sector is driving the country towards its Paris commitments well ahead of schedule. The Australian National University (ANU) published the findings today, concluding that on the current trajectory the country is on track to hit 50% renewable electricity in 2024 and 100% in 2032 – at a net cost “of approximately zero.” Despite the good news, the Clean Energy Council warns that current federal government policy may result in the country squandering the opportunity.

Indra Overland, head of the Center for Energy Research at the Norwegian Institute for International Affairs, explains how the world’s future energy landscape may include pan-regional super-grids. However, prosumer states seeking energy independence could also be in the mix. According to Overland, the two developments will go hand in hand and the balance between them will be determined by the competitiveness of storage technologies.

The Central Goldfields Shire Council has given its tick of approval for the construction of the Carisbrook Solar Farm, proposed by Germany’s ib vogt.

Elliott Green Power (EGP) has completed the construction and grid connection of its 95 MW Susan River Solar Farm in South East Queensland. The utility scale array is part of a three-project, 300 MW portfolio EGP is developing in Queensland and New South Wales.

The contribution of solar PV to Australia’s electricity generation mix hit record new highs in 2018, in new figures published today by Green Energy Markets. Last year rooftop PV generation from new arrays was 86% higher than in the previous three years and utility scale solar increased 300% – passing the 1,000 GWh milestone for the first time.

Supplier of solar inverters SMA has announced two new service offerings – plant engineering, and operations and maintenance – designed to de-risk new project investment, streamline grid connection, and drive greater ongoing performance from utility-scale solar farms.

The Ontario firm has revised figures for shipments, net revenue and gross margin after seeing better-than-expected trading in the final three months of 2018.

Australian-based Redback Technologies is now eligible for subsidies under the South Australia Home Battery Scheme, alongside nine other brands. The company manufacturers its solar inverter-battery hybrid systems overseas.

IEEFA supports new bill prohibiting the opening up of thermal coal mining in Queensland’s Galilee Basin

Maxwell, which specializes in supercapacitors, will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Elon Musk’s business.