Australia

Murrumbidgee Shire in the New South Wales’ Riverina region is set for a big battery and big flexibility after Edify and Shell Energy came together on a deal that will see the realisation of the Riverina Energy Storage System.

ARENA and green-thumb Angus Taylor have launched a project to demonstrate that renewable energy can be cost competitive compared to fossil-fuel use in the processing of alumina — providing an incentive for one of Australia’s biggest industries to adopt this technology and offer low-carbon alumina to the world market.

Got a startup that’s contributing to the energy transition, to advancing development of “smart” cities, to decarbonisation of agriculture or mines? The ATC has a track record for scaling up promising tech and has just extended its entry deadline to June 7. Opportunity knocks.

Even as solar researchers strive to squeeze every drop of efficiency from the industry-ruling silicon solar-cell technology, scientists are constantly questing for the next, cheaper, more efficient way of harvesting the sun’s energy to power human endeavours. The appetite for accelerating 2D perovskite solar cell development has just been piqued!

Last week’s announcement by China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) that it has indefinitely suspended all high-level economic dialogue with Australia indicates Beijing’s increasing willingness to target trade in its dispute with Canberra. With China buying around a third of everything Australia exports on a value basis, the downward spiral in Sino-Australian diplomatic relations is clearly of concern.

In a huge data-crunching project designed to inform rooftop solar-export policy and regulations, UNSW technical and social researchers delve into the costs and effectiveness of inverter standards.

Australia’s energy transition from traditional generation to renewable resources is quickening and global energy technology provider Fluence has highlighted that asset operators are turning to automated bidding solutions as they seek to navigate an increasingly complex market.

Australia’s largest petroleum company Ampol has declared its intent to transition away from traditional oil-based fuels, teaming with Ireland’s Fusion Fuel to develop a solar-powered hydrogen production plant at it’s oil refinery in Queensland.

French renewables developer Neoen is pushing ahead with plans to construct a 157 MW wind farm and 100 MW battery project in Queensland’s far north just weeks after federal resources minister Keith Pitt blocked public funding for the project.

For the first time in almost four decades a pumped hydro energy storage plant is set to begin construction with the financial close of Genex Power’s Kidston Clean Energy Hub.