Australia

Construction of a new $2.3 billion electricity interconnector that will link the South Australian and New South Wales energy networks is expected to commence early this year following the South Australian Government’s approval of the project’s Environmental Impact Statement.

Having working in the Australian solar industry for more than a decade, Dane Muldoon recently moved into the world of electric vehicles and fast charging, joining Tritium. These are the five most surprising things he’s learned since changing industries.

The much-delayed Sunraysia Solar Farm is seemingly a step closer to commencing production – more than 24 months behind schedule – with Australian engineering firm Decmil Group confirming the PV project has been given the green light following the successful completion of the required hold point testing.

Japanese trading house Sojitz Corporation has announced it will collaborate with Queensland government-owned utility CS Energy and Nippon Engineering Consultants on a project to transport green hydrogen produced in Australia to the Pacific Island nation of Palau in a bid to reduce a reliance on fossil fuels.

The world’s largest coal port is now powered by 100% renewable energy after the Port of Newcastle confirmed it had inked a deal with the Australian arm of Spanish energy group Iberdrola which will see the port’s entire operational needs powered by renewable generation.

British solar PV project investor Foresight Solar Fund continues to build its Australian renewable energy portfolio, acquiring 100% ownership of the 30 MW Oakey 1 and 17 MW Longreach solar farms in Queensland.

Western Australian solar window company ClearVue says it has proven its products can reduce buildings’ carbon emissions by as much as 90%, qualifying the technology for the world’s most comprehensive future building standards for energy performance.

The 162MW (AC) Columboola Solar Farm in the Western Downs of Queensland between Chinchilla and Miles has been successfully connected to the transmission network. QLD government-owned CS Energy has agreed to purchase 100% of the solar farms approximately 440GWh of annual clean energy for the next 10 years.

Sunman Energy claims the new factory, located in Yangzhong City in China’s Jiangsu province, is the world’s largest production facility for lightweight photovoltaics.

This year will see a suite of new rules introduced governing the sale and installation of rooftop solar. While the Clean Energy Regulator’s new rules will apply across the country, Victoria’s state government has also introduced its own set of additional ordinances – among them, a ban on door-to-door sales or cold-calling for solar, electricity and gas companies alike.