Australia

Australian technology company RayGen Resources has received funding to build a 3 MW/50 MWh ‘solar hydro’ power plant. Described by ARENA as the “first of a kind,” it is being lauded as one of the largest and lowest cost storage projects undertaken in the country. Energy giant AGL has also come onboard and will assess whether the technology would be suitable for its soon-to-retire Liddell facility.

Global Energy Ventures, the firm currently working on a 2,000t hydrogen cargo ship, has announced the commencement of construction on a 430t pilot-scale version to service the emerging market for economies wanting begin blending small amounts of green hydrogen into existing gas networks by mid-2020s.

It’s one thing to set a target for net zero, another to chart a course that will get you there in competitive form. Services are emerging to bridge the gap.

Two significant Australian-based industrial corporations, which impact global transport and building sectors, have signed an MOU to explore green hydrogen opportunities in Queensland.

A review of existing research on any particular topic “should provide some novel insights”, says UNSW solar researcher Dr Matthew Wright. UNSW’s new paper shows defect engineering of SHJ solar cells has come a long way, but what if these proven efficiency gains could be better applied?

A proposal which would allow network operators to charge rooftop solar PV owners to export their surplus energy to the grid has been opposed by key stakeholder groups in a joint submission to the Australian Energy Market Commission.

Solar and battery microgrid specialist Hybrid Systems Australia has announced it will establish the “world’s biggest” standalone power system manufacturing facility in Western Australia as it looks to cater for growing demand for the technology.

Steel is a major building block of our modern world, used to make everything from cutlery to bridges and wind turbines. But the way it’s made – using coal – is making climate change worse.

Reclaim PV is pushing ahead with plans to expand its solar PV module recycling operations, the South Australian-based company confirming it has received the tick of approval from government departments to establish a second operation in Queensland.

Lightsource bp, the solar arm of oil major BP, has reached financial close on its 107 MW West Wyalong Solar Farm in New South Wales and its 214 MW Woolooga Solar Farm in Queensland, bringing the company’s Australian pipeline to over 1.5 GW (DC) and exhibiting the strength of green investment strategies.