New Zealand passes landmark climate change bill
New Zealand claims antipodean bragging rights yet again as parliament passes landmark bill setting a 2050 net-zero carbon emissions target. The bill, among its manifold components, further highlights the void of federal energy policy in Australia.
South Australia’s renewables gain dispatchable back-up
South Australia’s renewables, particularly wind, have received firm dispatchable back-up as Barker Inlet Power Station begins generating energy for the first time.
Redflow to supply remote telecommunication sites in New Zealand
The New Zealand Rural Connectivity Group will use Redflow zinc-bromine flow batteries to store energy in off-grid telecommunication sites.
Singtel/Optus gets it right in the face of firestorms and a changing climate
Australia’s east coast is ablaze, with worse weather conditions set to fan the flames in coming days. Telecommunications is one industry threatened by changing climate conditions, and Singtel has sought to prepare its people and its infrastructure for the risks of the future while at the same time reducing its own carbon footprint.
Same same but different module
Utility-scale solar is booming in Australia. Quality assurance, especially solar panel testing, helps achieve better performance and lower costs. Best-practice testing is key, writes Michelle McCann, managing partner at PV Lab Australia, but must be planned and fully integrated into a project from an early stage. This integration ensures flow-through from panel manufacturers to commercial buyers and large project owners.
Shell to enter Australian electricity market as ERM stakeholders approve takeover bid
Fossil fuel giant Shell is set to make its foray into Australia’s electricity market after shareholders in electricity retailer ERM Power voted in favour of a $617 million takeover bid.
Saving water with solar and wind
Scientists at Princeton have found solar and wind energy offer the added environmental benefit of reducing water usage, by comparison with hydroelectric dams. Their findings, say the researchers, could have a positive impact on groundwater sustainability in drought-prone regions such as California, where they conducted a case study.
New tool to assess costs and benefits of switching to green hydrogen
A result of a collaboration between global accounting and financial services firm KPMG, Canadian gas giant ATCO, Australia’s national science agency CSIRO and Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), H2City can be used to assess the costs and benefits of regional town or municipality switching to hydrogen.
South Australia set for large-scale, blockchain-enabled virtual power plant
Known for its blockchain-based peer-to-peer platform that allows energy trading between households, Power Ledger is now readying for the first large-scale commercial rollout of its technology in Australia. The Perth-based company has partnered with electricity wholesaler Powerclub to allow households to pool net solar and battery storage and act as a virtual power plant.
Interview: What Fimer’s acquisition of ABB Solar means for Australian customers
The Solar Cutters were given the opportunity to meet Filippo Carzaniga, the CEO of Fimer, during All Energy last month to discuss the announcement in July 2019 that the company has acquired the ABB Solar business. Solar Cutters presented questions from within the Solar Cutters Community for better clarification on Fimer’s current market position and what changes, once the acquisition is ratified, will come into effect.
