Melbourne energy management company attracts funding for commercialisation
Melbourne-based company carbontrack has secured $877,000 in funding to accelerate the commercialisation of its energy management technology. The funding comes in part from industry and in part from the federal government.
Laying foundations for transformation: Queensland startup answers need for grid digitalisation
Patrick Matweew, CEO of Australian startup Luceo Energy, is fully aware grid digitalisation stirs fervour in the hearts of few. It is, nonetheless, perhaps the single most important step in realising our clean energy future. “It’s not spoken about enough because it sits in that little niche. There might be other things that are a little bit more sexy, but this is really where the fundamentals get put in place to enable [everything else],” he told pv magazine Australia.
MSquare Energy becomes Australia’s second module manufacturer
Sydney-based MSquare Energy says it has ambitions of becoming Australia’s largest solar panel manufacturer. It is entering the market at a pivotal moment when Australia’s panel manufacturing industry is pushing to compete on equal footing with global leaders.
Powering Australian Renewables completes $2.7 billion Tilt Renewables takeover
Powering Australian Renewables Fund, a partnership between AGL Energy and QIC, has formally taken control of Tilt Renewables on the same day the consortium called on the Australian federal government to set a net zero 2050 target.
Victorian council to pass solar system’s savings on to community group
Mildura Rural City Council will install a solar system with up to 99 kW of capacity at its Mildura South Regional Sporting Precinct, which is currently under construction. A spokesperson for Mildura Council told pv magazine Australia 50% of the system’s savings will be provided to a local group to deliver its ongoing sustainability programs for the community.
Victorian government plans six grid ‘shock absorber’ projects for REZ’s clean energy influx
The Victorian government has commissioned the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) to seek tenders for six new grid upgrade projects to prepare for the influx of clean energy associated with the state’s western Renewable Energy Zones (REZs).
Battery-maker, retailer and financier alliance sees more players enter Australia’s VPP space
South Korean company LG Energy Solution has partnered with Australian fintech financier Humm Group and renewable energy retailer Diamond Energy to provide customers with Virtual Power Plant platform. Virtual power plants (VPPs) are gaining momentum in Australia as a way to decrease buyback time on home batteries and potentially add stabilisation services to the grid.
Taylor makes second attempt at knifing ARENA
The Morrison government and Energy Minister Angus Taylor have made a renewed attempt to expand the remit of the Australian Renewable Energy Agency to include technologies using fossil-fuels. The Senate, which blocked Taylor’s previous attempt to illegally siphon funding from renewables in June, is set to sit today and the outcome is far from certain.
ANU researchers go round the twist with latest ultra-thin solar discovery
Researchers at The Australian National University working on the photovoltaic potential of ultra-thin 2D materials have made an interesting discovery, the ability of these diaphanous materials to generate solar energy can be controlled by a mere “twist”.
A closer look at liquid air energy storage
A British-Australian research team has assessed the potential of liquid air energy storage (LAES) for large scale application. The scientists estimate that these systems may currently be built at a cost between €300 and €600 (AU$480 to $960) per megawatt-hour and that a positive business case could be favoured by certain conditions, including a determined price structure in the energy market and the presence of a grid unable to support high levels of renewable energy penetration.
