Australia

Solar Citizens has warned the Australian Energy Market Commission’s controversial proposal to make solar PV owners pay to export their surplus production to the grid could send the National Electricity Market into a ‘death spiral’.

Australian renewable energy developer Vast Solar is calling for expressions of interest from contractors as it pushes ahead with plans to develop a $600 million hybrid solar thermal project in far western Queensland.

Solar retailer Smart Energy believes Australia’s small-scale solar PV industry has been let down by the Federal Government which has been widely criticised for the lack of funding included in the Federal Budget for the renewable energy sector.

Record investment in solar and wind farms across the National Electricity Market has helped to quell concerns that Victoria and South Australia will face increased risk of blackouts later this decade following the impending closure of the Yallourn coal-fired power plant.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has unveiled a big-spending Budget but critics have been quick to condemn the lack of money set aside for renewable energy as a “national shame” and missed opportunity as the government continues to pursue its gas-led philosophy.

An expected drop-off in the performance of its Australian battery energy storage assets has sparked a $24 million (€15.6 million) downturn in consolidated revenue for French renewables developer Neoen.

Queensland flow battery company, Redflow, has unveiled the product it’s hoping will launch its lucrative high-voltage, high-capacity, grid-scale future: the Energy Pod Z module.

Tindo Solar, Australia’s only solar panel manufacturer, has teamed up with a group of engineering students from the Australian National University to help them construct a solar race car.

While suburban Australian rooftops have become coated in solar panels, the roofs of our commercial and industrial buildings have remained conspicuously bare. Our shopping centres, however, seem to be slowly be moving in the direction ordinary Australian’s have paved, with Australia’s largest privately-owned shopping centre yesterday announcing plans for a sizeable microgrid. Likewise, Vicinity, one of the country’s largest shopping centre managers, has managed to increase its sustainability rating largely through its extensive solar program.

Government-owned water utility, SA Water, has completed its extensive solar installation project, which involved installing more than 350,000 PV panels across 33 water treatment plants and pump stations across metropolitan and regional areas of South Australia.