For the last decade, the global conversation around electric vehicles (EVs) has focused almost entirely on adoption. Targets, incentives, charging stations and sales figures have dominated headlines. The EV transition is happening daily, at street level, across the Asia-Pacific region and beyond. Yet a far less glamorous question is now becoming just as important as how many EVs we sell: what happens when their batteries are no longer good enough for the road?

Solar and wind now provide 99% of new generating capacity in Australia. Renewables supply more than 40% of power to the main grid. Australia will need six times as much solar and wind to reach net zero through the electrification of everything. This means building new transmission corridors, as existing lines were built to connect cities with coal power stations. But the best solar and wind resources lie in different places.

Australia has led the charge in solar energy, setting the standard for solar panel adoption worldwide. The Snapshot of Global PV Markets 2024 report published by the International Energy Agency Photovoltaic Power Systems Programme shows that more than 30% of Australia’s households are fitted with rooftop solar PV units, harnessing the sun’s power to meet their energy needs.

The federal government has unveiled new details of its plan to create a $1.2 billion critical mineral reserve. Three minerals will initially be the focus: antimony, gallium and rare earths (a group of 17 different elements).

As many PV plants approach the midpoint in their typical lifespan of 25 to 35 years, the industry faces crucial decisions about what comes next. Much of the focus so far has been on managing modules, particularly on recovering their silicon and other materials. But the conversation must also extend to mounting structures. As the backbone of all solar plants, these structures represent a significant share of material use and a plant’s embodied carbon footprint.

Plans for a 250 MW solar and 350 MWh battery energy storage project proposed for Queensland’s Western Downs region are now available for public comment as developer Pacific Partnerships seeks a green tick from the federal government.

Recycling solutions company Livium has for the first time shipped 600 end-of-life solar panels to South Korea, where a strategic partner, Won Kwang S&T will validate their proprietary technology for large-scale solar panel recycling.

Chinese manufacturer Sungrow has introduced a new utility string inverter, a three-phase hybrid inverter for commercial and industrial applications, and a liquid-cooled energy storage system.

French energy company Engie has acquired London-headquartered Eku Energy’s minority stake in Engie’s 150 MW / 150 MWh Hazelwood battery energy storage system in Victoria.

Next-generation solar innovator Halocell Energy is set to benefit from the development of a sovereign supply chain for high-purity precursors to perovskite after signing a memorandum of understanding with Queensland advanced materials company Lava Blue.

The Chinese firm has unveiled its latest energy storage solution, the ENERpro-LFP48300, equipped with a 48V, 300 Ah lithium battery. The company boasts a lifespan of more than 9,500 cycles at a high 95% depth of discharge.

Central Queensland Power has submitted its 450 MW solar and 450 MW / 3.6 GWh Wooderson Solar Development hybrid project in the Gladstone region for federal EPBC approval.

South Australian remote and off grid clean energy specialist MyEnergy Engineering has completed an off grid 100 kW solar and 256 kWh battery system for a large-scale energy hungry piggery, north of Adelaide.

United Kingdom-headquartered energy analyst company Bloomberg New Energy Finance has forecast Australia is likely to see $5.1 billion in investment in utility scale solar and wind in 2026, though wind will account for 95% of the total.

CleanPeak Energy has acquired five new solar farm and battery energy storage system development sites across New South Wales from Fortitude Renewables, which are expected to produce 90 GWh of energy per annum.

China-based PV equipment supplier Ideal Energy Sunflower Semiconductor has completed an AI-enabled pilot line for ultra-thin, flexible heterojunction solar cells, targeting lightweight power systems for space and near-space applications.

South Australia-based renewables developer Green Gold Energy says it has received connection approval for a 108 MW solar farm and 440 MWh battery energy storage system being developed in the state’s northeast.

Researchers have used multivalent amidinium ligands to boost perovskite solar cell efficiency to 25.4%, achieving over 95% stability after 1,100 hours at 85 C. The proposed approach enables controlled low-dimensional passivation layers, offering a practical route for durable, large-area perovskite devices.

Researchers at the University of New South Wales have achieved a record-setting power conversion efficiency with solar cells made from antimony chalcogenide, an emerging PV material regarded as a strong candidate for next-generation solar technology.

Smart Commercial Energy has unveiled a new prefabricated vertical rooftop solar system for the Australian market as part of a collaboration with Norwegian clean energy company Over Easy Solar.

University of New South Wales researchers found that some POE encapsulants can trigger severe corrosion in TOPCon solar modules, causing up to 55% power loss under damp-heat conditions. Their study highlights that module reliability depends on the exact encapsulant formulation, not just the polymer type.

The launch of the new product suggests United States-based manufacturer Tesla could renew its focus on residential solar and expand lease options with its Powerwall residential battery energy storage offering.

The new IQ9N-3P microinverter utilises gallium nitride technology to deliver 427 VA of peak power and 97.5% efficiency for the 480 V three-phase commercial market.

An international research team has developed a new two-dimensional perovskite interlayer based on a co-crystal engineering strategy for more robust perovskite films. It demonstrated improved performance in small area perovskite solar cells and, in a 48 cm2 module, contributed to retain 95% of initial efficiency after 5,000 h.

Plans to establish Australia’s first commercial-scale solar ingot and wafer manufacturing plant near Townsville in north Queensland are advancing with developer Stellar PV providing an early glimpse of the proposed 2 GW-capacity facility.

Akaysha Energy says its Brendale battery energy storage system in Queensland has commenced commercial operations close to five months ahead of schedule.

Iola Hughes, Head of Research at Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, says 2026 is set to be another strong year for battery energy storage systems, with forecast additions exceeding 450 GWh and no material supply constraints in sight. Meanwhile, the initial impact of rising lithium prices is already visible at the cell level, but the full effect has yet to ripple through to system pricing.

The working theory for a new energy precinct in South Australia: first come batteries, then comes novel long-duration thermal energy storage.

Australian households, small businesses and community organisations have installed a record-setting 200,000 battery energy storage systems since the launch of the federal rebate in July with the $7.2 billion initiative now expected to deliver more than 2 million home batteries by 2030.

Researchers from Australia’s national science agency have teamed with Malaysian authorities to explore how different battery chemistries perform under tropical stressors like heat, humidity and corrosion, and what this means for durability, safety and cost-effectiveness.