Australia

With the All-Energy Australia 2023 exhibition and conference commencing in Melbourne today, the pv magazine team is on hand to take in the latest from the renewable energy industry.

Solar glass manufacturer ClearVue Technologies is poised to accelerate its global expansion plans and further the commercialisation of its technology after locking in a $30 million (USD 19 million) funding facility with Australian fund manager Alpha Investment Partners.

Government agency Export Finance Australia will provide $220 million (USD 140 million) to help finance Liontown’s Kathleen Valley Lithium project after involvement from Australia’s richest person, mining magnate Gina Rinehart, caused its giant Albemarle deal to collapse.

Australia’s power market is experiencing the most pricing fluctuations of anywhere in the world, according to research from Rystad Energy. This volatility is a result of unplanned coal plant outages, natural disasters impacting transmission lines, and high solar penetration pushing down midday prices.

Leaders from Australian hydrogen startup Hysata are joining Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on his four-day visit to the US to meet President Joe Biden. Hysata is commercialising a hydrogen electrolysis breakthrough that claims to improve efficiency by 20%.

Victorian hydrogen company Energys has unveiled its third-generation, locally-manufactured Hydrogen Fuel Cell Generators, five of which are to provide backup power for Telstra’s remote telecommunications towers as part of a Victorian pilot. The company says it is already constructing a green hydrogen generation plant too, supported by funding from the Victorian government.

Traditional lands owners in Western Australia’s Pilbara region have signed an agreement with mining giant Rio Tinto to collaborate on large-scale renewable energy projects as the resources heavyweight powers up efforts to decarbonise its supply chain.

The Australian government has approved a third major renewables project in as many weeks, providing the green light for a 100 MW solar farm being developed in Queensland’s Western Downs region.

Global gas and engineering giants ATCO and BOC Linde have been named preferred partners to deliver a $593 million (USD 374 million) hydrogen production, power plant and storage facility at Whyalla in South Australia.

Australia’s largest electricity transmission project EnergyConnect has taken another step towards completion with the arrival of two 120 MVA capacity synchronous condensers that will sit at the heart of the Buronga substation in western New South Wales.