Australia

Australia is in critical need of robust planning of distributed battery energy storage systems to increase network flexibility alongside the development of new generation resources and transmission infrastructure.

Western Australian battery recycling startup Renewable Metals has inked a “multi-million-dollar” deal with British recycling giant European Metal Recycling which plans to build a pilot plant in the United Kingdom featuring the Aussie company’s lithium-ion battery recycling technology.

More than 6,000 homes and businesses in Western Australia’s Kimberley now have the option to install rooftop PV with regional energy provider Horizon Power confirming that its Smart Connect Solar technology that removes network hosting capacity constraints is now available in the town of Broome.

Chinese solar and storage technology manufacturer Sungrow has announced the launch in Australia of a new hybrid three-phase inverter and battery energy storage solution for use in residential and small-scale commercial and industrial applications.

The federal and state governments are stepping up their investments as they seek to deliver the army of skilled workers required to build the solar and wind farms, rooftop solar, battery storage and transmission infrastructure needed to achieve Australia’s renewable energy and emissions targets.

An ‘Australian first’ demonstration of aggregated flexible demand in residential settings will be rolled out in South Australia with the state’s principle electricity distributor to deliver smart energy upgrades for 500 households as part of a pilot program that aims to coordinate power usage to better support the grid.

This article shares some insights about curtailment for semi-scheduled solar and wind farms in the National Electricity Market and is a more in-depth follow-on to an earlier article about the issue.

Western Australian regional energy provider Horizon Power has activated a 364 kW roof-mounted solar system atop the Derby Regional Hospital in the state’s northwest that is expected to reduce the facility’s mains grid annual energy consumption by almost 25%.

Two Victorian energy companies are putting their know-how to the test by using technology to solve flexible demand issues for residential, commercial, and industrial customers, with the aim of matching variable energy sources like rooftop solar, to supply and demand.

Despite a rapidly evolving electric vehicle market, myths that they are unsuited to Australian roads have persisted. According to the Electric Vehicle Council, there remains a misconception that EVs are unsuited to Australian conditions due to low battery ranges, the landscape and the country’s immature EV charging infrastructure.