Solcast, a DNV company, reports that March in Australia was unusually wet and disrupted, with frequent tropical cyclones, polar air intrusions, and repeated low-pressure systems causing widespread cloud, storms, and record cold in the southeast. Solar irradiance was mixed: below average in the south due to persistent cloud and storms, but near or above average on some northern and coastal regions where breaks between systems allowed recovery.

With a volatile global fuel and energy crisis continuing relentlessly, Australia holds a quiet but powerful advantage that provides cost-of-living energy relief to millions by allowing our cars and homes to run on sunshine instead of fossil fuels.

Grid-forming inverters represent a critical technology transition for the Australian National Electricity Market as the grid moves toward 100% renewable sources. With 10 operational grid-forming battery energy storage systems totaling approximately 1,070 MW and 94 projects in the pipeline, Australia is emerging as a global leader in grid-forming deployment.

As utility-scale battery energy storage systems continue to be deployed across Australia’s National Electricity Market, fire risk assessment is rapidly shifting from a compliance exercise to a core project viability consideration. For developers, asset owners, insurance considerations and regulators, the key question is no longer whether systems meet component certification standards, but how complete BESS systems behave under severe real-world conditions.

For decades, copper was the material the solar industry knew it needed but could not manufacture at scale. That barrier has been lifted. What follows matters for every rooftop, every supply chain, and every gigawatt the energy transition still requires.

Western Australian Firebird Metals has been awarded $2 million through ARENA and the Battery Breakthrough Initiative to develop a demonstration-scale facility that processes manganese concentrate into cathode materials for batteries.

Janus Electric has launched its first dealer-led heavy vehicle electrification conversion centre in South Australia, enticed by the state’s high penetration of renewable energy in the grid.

China’s solar industry has launched its first TOPCon-focused patent pool, led by Trina Solar, JA Solar, and JinkoSolar, to streamline licensing, reduce disputes, and strengthen IP coordination at home and abroad.

Utility scale batteries are maintaining a strong lead in the race for renewable energy pipeline growth, indicated by AEMO’s latest Connections Scorecard showing 67.3 GW of projects are progressing through the NEM connection process.

Two First Nations communities in the Northern Territory will share $11 million in ARENA funding that will enable the design, development and leadership of their own microgrid projects, and create a remote First Nations communities energy transition blueprint.

Researchers in the United States reviewed claims about PFAS in solar panels and found that while fluoropolymers may be used in limited components like backsheets or coatings, there is no confirmed evidence of PFAS leaching from commercially deployed modules.

Victoria-based cleantech company Allume Energy has reached the significant milestone of connecting 10,000 apartments to solar energy in Australia, the UK, USA and Germany.

Sydney researchers in partnership with industry have launched a solar panel recycling hub to improve solar panel waste circular economy technologies and resource extraction, adding another boost to Australia’s existing initiatives.

A 360 MW solar farm and a 150 MW / 600 MWh battery energy storage system to be built in New South Wales has secured approval to connect to the electricity grid in the state’s New England Tablelands region.

The new inverter is designed around standardised 5 MW and 5.5 MW PV sub-arrays with the aim to reduce balance-of-system costs. It features a maximum efficiency of 99.0% and a high-voltage architecture of up to 1,600 Vdc and 1,000 Vac.

Researchers at the University of New South Wales have developed an AI-driven system aimed at accelerating the identification of two-dimensional semiconductor materials that can be used in solar cells.

The Chinese manufacturer said its lightweight Light Diamond TOPCon module delivers 560 W at 24.94% efficiency.

Researchers have identified a new source of underperformance in utility-scale PV plants caused by “suboptimal backtracking” on slightly uneven terrain. The study shows that real tracker control systems deviate from ideal flat-terrain assumptions, reducing irradiance capture and causing measurable energy losses compared with simulations.

Researchers have analyzed the biomass and nutritional value of grasses and legumes for grazing dairy cattle, growing in agrivoltaics fields. The results showed that forage quality may be maintained or even enhanced in agrivoltaic environments.

Amazon Australia has announced nine new power purchase agreements, that include three utility-scale solar and battery hybrids, four distributed solar-battery projects, and a new battery at the Mokoan Solar Farm, committing stable revenues to 430 MW of renewable energy.

An ongoing collaboration between New South Wales-based Halocell Energy and Sofab Inks finds that perovskite modules incorporating Sofab’s Tinfab electron transport layer maintain approximately 100% of their normalised efficiency after 1,300 hours under accelerated combined light and damp-heat testing.

MyNu Energy has launched a mobile solar generation and battery energy storage system designed to reduce reliance on diesel as the Middle East crisis continues to cause concerns about fuel shortages and uncertain energy costs.

A new UNSW study shows that laser-enhanced contact optimisation can boost industrial TOPCon solar cell efficiency by improving contact properties and reducing recombination losses. By combining optimised firing conditions with LECO “repair” of contacts, the approach balances recombination and resistance, offering a practical path for conventional TOPCon cells to compete with PV technologies offering higher efficiencies.

Researchers from 11 universities globally, including the University of New South Wales, have collaborated on a paper advocating for the need to guarantee energy security, research in photovoltaics is essential for continued innovation.

Almost 40 residents of a multi-unit complex in Templestowe have opted for two, three or four, 480 W panels, or to share clean energy from a 5 kW solar community board supported by 11 panels under the Victorian Solar for Apartments scheme, scheduled to close at the end of April 2026.

Pacific Energy has been tapped by the Northern Territory government to deliver two large scale battery energy storage systems to support the Alice Springs and Darwin–Katherine power systems.

Alinta Energy has commenced main construction works on the first 1,000 MWh stage of a 500 MW / 2,000 MWh battery energy storage system planned for South Australia.

Australian battery storage developer Akaysha Energy makes a sizable move into Germany as it continues to grow its global energy storage system portfolio.

Researchers from South and Western Australia have found electric vehicles equipped with vehicle-to-home technology can reduce the need for large home battery systems.

Victorian community-owned clean energy developer Indigo Power has launched a 482 kWh community battery with 100 kW inverter at the Cricket Albury Wodonga Indoor Stadium, co-located with an existing 98 kW solar system.