Australia

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.

Solar PV is an important contributor to all energy scenarios presented in AEMO’s latest “Input, Assumptions and Scenarios Report,” but what’s the best possible outcome it can enable?

I had quite the epiphany in the winter of 2020. I began to realise that selling cheap solar systems isn’t actually a smart thing to do in the long run. I’d heard all the rumours from old heads of the industry, but went in a bit wet behind the ears with the old ‘it couldn’t happen to me’ mentality. But replacing solar panels that were only four years old made me wise-up very quickly.

Australia’s big energy providers are being forced to take stock of the costs of fossil fuels versus renewables. One industry analyst and commentator has a fresh recipe for success for Australia’s biggest wholesaler and retailer of gas.

Speculation will be rife as to the cause of the fire which destroyed one Tesla Megapack and damaged another in Moorabool on Friday. Investigators are waiting until the site is deemed safe to begin their forensic examination.

The time is now for the energy consumer, says Anna Bruce, as energy “prosumers” produce, consume, and provide electricity and grid services in previously unimagined ways. Bruce, a senior lecturer at the University of New South Wales’ School of Solar Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering (SPREE), leads work on the role of distributed energy resources in the energy transition, analysing firsthand the dizzying level of complexity it brings.

The Queensland government released its Climate Action Plan 2030 online yesterday, an apparent roadmap for the Sunshine State to meet its renewable 2030 and 2050 targets while creating jobs and helping the economy recover from the impact of Covid-19. But is the Action Plan merely a plan to take action?

Acciona Energía has received approval from the Queensland state government for an expansion of its plans for the Aldoga Solar Farm outside Gladstone. Originally slated as a 250 MW project, the project will now reach a capacity of 600 MWp and work to support the development of Gladstone’s green hydrogen hub.

Assistant Minister for Waste Reduction and Environmental Management, Trevor Evans, has announced a newly accredited Battery Stewardship Scheme that he says will triple the battery collection rate over a period five years and divert 90% of the collected materials from landfill. 

Mining giant BHP has taken another step on the path towards a renewable energy future, commissioning a 48.2 MW solar + storage hybrid power facility that will help power its Nickel West mining operations in regional Western Australia.