Australia

The Spanish developer has successfully completed the 69.75 MW solar farm in New South Wales which is contracted under a power purchase agreement with government-owned retailer Snowy Hydro.

The Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) is calling for submissions on proposed rule changes that would address the integration of distributed energy resources, including enabling export charges as a pricing tool.

The Clean Energy Finance Corporation is set to become the cornerstone investor in a BNP Paribas’ issuance $140 million in new Australian green bonds through its Australian Climate Transition Index, an index for investors to parse the companies that will survive and thrive into a decarbonised future from those who will decay and die.

The Schools Virtual Power Plant pilot project, part of the WA Government’s $66.3 million investment in solar and batteries in its WA Recovery Plan from the impacts of Covid-19, will see ten schools transformed into VPPs. The two year trial is expected to bring reduced electricity bills to schools, improved grid stability, and increased solar uptake in the local community.

The Anglo-Dutch power company will buy Perth-based environmental specialist Select Carbon as part of a broader ambition to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 or sooner.

Having bagged large orders in the U.S. and Australia, Indian multinational engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services provider Sterling and Wilson Solar is bidding for tenders in new regions, Europe among them. Kannan Krishnan, S&W’s chief operations officer for solar in India and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation area, speaks to pv magazine about the impact of Covid-19 on the solar EPC business and the company’s expansion plans.

With the disruption of Covid-19 highlighting the climatic impact of the aviation industry, a recent report from the CSIRO funded by Boeing shows that hydrogen fuel’s technological momentum could see clean hydrogen used in airports by as early as 2025, and a full transition from conventional jet fuel by 2050.

The Hepburn Recreation Reserve has been recently fitted out with a solar installation accompanied by a Tesla Powerwall 2. The combined system is not only a great result for the local sports clubs, it also helps Hepburn Shire on its way to 100% renewables, and what is more, also secures the important facility as a ‘last resort’ for the community during a bushfire.

Known as iron-ore central, the town of Newman in the far north of Western Australia is also the regional centre for a large Indigenous population which has just opened a health care hub dedicated to its own needs. Solar on the building’s broad, gently arcing roof will significantly reduce the costs of running this much needed facility.

COVID-19 has enhanced the conviction that Australia will benefit from advanced manufacturing and sovereign supply. Homegrown battery manufacturer Energy Renaissance is poised to drive home that advantage.