Australia

The rollout of large-scale solar in New Zealand continues to gather pace with renewables developer FRV Australia and joint venture partner Genesis Energy announcing that construction proper has commenced on a 47 MW solar farm at Lauriston on the country’s South Island.

The first stage of Acen Australia’s planned 720 MW New England Solar Farm is home to more than 6,000 sheep that are grazing beneath the panels in a proof-of-concept agrivoltaics project that has no-one sitting on the fence regarding the results.

Singapore-based renewables developer Vena Energy has launched commercial operations of a 125 MW solar farm in Queensland’s Western Downs region that is backed by a long-term offtake agreement with global tech giant Amazon.

Australian National University researchers will put their heads together with Queensland tech company CQSola to find ways to accelerate commercialisation of a direct solar-to-hydrogen system as part of a newly funded project.

The federal government’s plan to deploy 400 community batteries across the nation to soak up excess solar generated on neighbourhood rooftops has reached the Australian Capital Territory with sites for three new battery energy storage systems unveiled.

The Queensland government has promised to design a mandatory developer code for new renewable generation projects to put community engagement and social licence front and centre of the project development process.

A report commissioned by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency has found that if 10% of the nation’s vehicles are electric and utilise vehicle-to-grid connections, they could reduce peak electricity demand at local substations by 6% and save car owners hundreds of dollars per year on charging costs.

Trina Storage has struck a deal to supply 1.5 GWh of integrated energy storage solutions to Pacific Green which has plans to construct what is to be one of Australia’s largest grid-scale battery energy storage systems.

A new report published by the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) shows the nation’s clean energy transition is gathering pace with renewables, including large-scale and rooftop solar, accounting for almost 40% of the country’s electricity generation in the first three months of the year.

Australian battery materials technology company Sicona has confirmed it will develop its first commercial manufacturing facility in the United States as part of its ambition to become the biggest producer of silicon-carbon battery materials in the world.