Spanish tracker giant STI Norland expands to Australia with a keenness to compete
Spanish tracker giant STI Norland has expanded to Australia with a new subsidiary office in Melbourne. The company is arriving on our shores with a keenness to compete with tracker suppliers who already have their foot in the door. With no solar farm too big or too small, STI Norland Australia CEO Alan Atchison sat down with pv magazine Australia to talk about how the company plans to make tracks Down Under.
Rooftop solar capacity may double over 4 years, says regulator
Rooftop solar and investment in large scale renewable energy continues to power, largely unperturbed by the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the Clean Energy Regulator’s latest Carbon Markets Report.
Japanese owner of WA’s Bluewaters coal plant reports worst ever loss in face of energy transition
The Sumitomo Corporation has reported a stunning ¥26bn (US$251m) loss on its Western Australian Bluewaters coal fired power investment. The loss assures the company’s worst ever annual performance and comes as a result of international and financial pressure against coal funding.
Vast array of global banks revealed as green financiers of 460 MW Western Downs Green Power Hub
Neoen announced last month that it had completed the financing of its 460 MW Western Downs Green Power Hub, but today it has been revealed that said green finance came about through a wide reaching international effort, including seven global banks, a salutary sign that green finance is accelerating as fossil fuel divestment continues.
NSW’s University of New England switches on its very own solar farm
The University of New England is now well on the way to being 100% powered by solar after switching on its very own 3.2 MW solar farm. However, the university is not quite done yet, with Phase 2 already planned and including an energy storage system.
Clean energy ‘clear winner’ of Victorian state budget with $1.6bn in funding
The Clean Energy Council have called renewable energy the “clear winner” of the Victorian Budget 2020/21, saying the $1.6 billion in allocated in targeted funding represents a landmark for the state.
Calls for Queensland to follow Victorian lead and extend solar for renters program
Community group Solar Citizens is calling for the Queensland government to expand its solar for renters trial following the release of results which found participating tenants were, on average, $600 a year better off after solar was installed on their rooftops.
‘Renewable energy superhighway’ linking Victoria to NSW kick started by bilateral funding agreement
Work on a new electricity transmission line linking Victoria and New South Wales is going ahead under a joint funding agreement between Victoria’s state government and the federal coalition.
Interview: Education, reforms needed to drive quality battery storage
While long hyped, uptake of residential battery storage is continuing to underwhelm, according to BayWa r.e. Solar Systems managing director Durmus Yildiz. In the wake of the Insight on Quality session of the All-Energy Australia virtual conference, Yildiz says he has reservations about battery safety and quality, and that education is needed to drive the application’s growth.
AGL continues large-scale storage surge with 200 MW Loy Yang project
AGL’s ambitious 850 MW target of new large-scale battery storage in its portfolio by FY 2024 is seeming less like an opportunity and more like an inevitability with each passing week. Following on from last week’s announcement of a 250 MW, four-hour-duration battery at its Torrens Island Power Station in South Australia, AGL has this week announced a 200 MW battery project at Victoria’s Loy Yang A power station.
