Australia

The program will test the potential of distributed energy resources, such as rooftop solar systems, battery storage and controllable load devices, aggregated into virtual power plants (VPPs), to provide scalable energy and network services traditionally performed by large-scale, conventional electricity generators. With registration open, the Australian Energy Market Operator wants VPPs to register to accelerate the shared learning on how to safely and efficiently integrate, operate and regulate these emerging technologies into the National Electricity Market.

Even though it is winter, solar capacity is now sufficiently large that it drove renewable energy’s share of the electricity market up above 30% in the middle of the day for 20 out of 30 days of June, finds Green Energy Markets.

After it deployed a record $1.3 billion into the clean energy sector in a 12-month period, the Clean Energy Finance Corporation said it will sharpen its focus on energy storage and other technologies to support the stability of the national grid.

WA’s regional utility Horizon Power will supply homes and businesses that install rooftop PV and batteries with Secure Gateway Devices (SGDs) to allow for higher penetration levels in the northwest town of Onslow. Newcastle-based SwitchIn has been selected by Horizon to supply the SGDs.

A report released by the Future Fuels CRC (FFCRC) details the work of 19 separate hydrogen roadmaps from around the world, showing the focus and drive towards a hydrogen future. While in sync in terms of forecasts suggesting large scale and rapid deployment of hydrogen technologies is expected from around 2030 onwards, the roadmaps seem to have been developed in isolation from one another, the report finds.

The cost of solar power generation in India has fallen to half the level seen in many other markets in the region due to extensive solar resource, market scale and competition. In Australia, solar is expected to break through the coal-fired electricity price barrier next year, when its cost falls to US$48/MWh, WoodMac finds.

With miners around globe stepping up their production capacities to cater to the demand of the electro-mobility and energy storage sectors, supply has outpaced demand leading to a steep decline in lithium prices. Amid slowing growth in China, a number of Australian lithium miners are hurting.

The Australia Institute’s ‘National Energy Emissions Audit Electricity Update’ for July shows solar and wind generation is growing fastest in New South Wales, closely followed by Victoria; and it offers an historical twist on the country’s energy transition.

The UK is leaping ahead in its deployment of electric-vehicle charge infrastructure. Box Energi has chosen Australia’s Tritium Veefil-RT technology to double refill sites around the UK, boosting not only charge accessibility and driving range, but confidence in emissions-free commuting and touring.

Large scale solar PV farm cleaners Australian Solar Maintenance (ASM) are putting Bazza, Gazza and Sheila to work – custom tractors they reckon can boost solar yields at sites heavily impacted by soiling.