Japanese giant to increase its green hydrogen production out of Brisbane
Eneos, Japan’s largest oil company, is set to increase its production of green hydrogen in Queensland in 2022.
Australia prepares for first solar ‘upcycling’ facility while recycling operations expand
As Australia stares down a deluge of worn out solar panels, recycling – and indeed upcycling – programs are grinding into gear. In Victoria, a site has been found for Australia’s first facility to recover and reuse solar module materials, while Reclaim PV has extended its manufacturer partner and pickup location lists.
Marrying markets and physics – pushing the (dynamic) envelope of orchestration and VPPs
Virtual power plants have turned a corner in this country, SwitchDin founder, Andrew Mears tells pv magazine Australia. With the new technology now firmly established, we take a look at the new approaches to orchestration which will inform the next wave of distributed energy resources management.
$26 billion in ‘new energy economy’ projects proposed in Queensland, as feds pay bizarre homage to coal
The Queensland government has highlighted its state attracted as much as $26 billion worth of “new energy economy projects”, according to new national resources reports. The federal government, on the other hand, used the reports to pay tribute almost exclusively to coal, with resources minister Keith Pitt dubbing it a “star”.
BHP looks to use 35-tonne blocks to store renewable energy for its WA operations
An agreement with Energy Vault may see resource company BHP stack 35-tonne blocks to store wind and solar energy in the Pilbara, northern Western Australia.
Aussie flow battery company completes ‘milestone’ installation
Brisbane-based flow battery company Redflow has completed its single biggest installation to date, a 2 MWh storage system in California for biowaste technology firm Anaergia.
Wollongong researchers’ graphene discovery to unlock cheaper, more efficient li-ion batteries
Researchers at the University of Wollongong say they have discovered a new form of graphene which will improve both anode and cathode materials in lithium-ion batteries, making them cheaper and more efficient. Collaborating with Sicona, the company has agreed to buy all the researchers’ intellectual property relating to the new material.
NT’s first publicly owned house finally granted access to rooftop solar
Indigenous communities have some of the most unreliable, expensive power in Australia, with a recent study finding almost three quarters of households in remote Northern Territory communities lost power more than 10 times, often for significant periods on “dangerously” hot days. Alarmingly, regulations have until now completely blocked communities in public housing from connecting rooftop solar because they use a prepaid meter system.
Novel government strategy makes solar and wind monitoring data public for first time
In an unconventional bid to attract large-scale renewable developments, the Queensland government has organised for usually highly confidential solar and wind monitoring data to be made public for the first time through Fulcrum 3D’s technology platforms.
Weekend read: Solar panels bringing solace to communities hit hard by Black Summer Bushfires
Norway-based REC Group’s REConstruct Initiative is helping communities hit hard by the Black Summer Bushfires of 2019-2020 by donating solar systems to help bring savings on electricity bills and independence to vulnerable areas cut off from the grid during the catastrophic fires.
