Australia

The world of electricity is unrelenting and confusing; from a multitude of energy plans to deciding on which solar system to install. The fast emerging home battery market now introduces another opportunity for homeowners to save thousands. However, not all battery systems are equal – and not all homes are suited to installing a home battery. The wrong home battery advice can cost homeowners thousands of dollars in unnecessary equipment.

Rebates and zero-interest loans for solar panels, solar hot water systems and batteries account for one of the major spends in Victoria’s 2019/20 budget and come at a cost of $1.3 billion.

A renewable energy project that started as a way to provide extra income for grape and citrus growers has built its 50th small-scale solar farm in South Australia.

Australian mining giant BHP has announced its intentions to move away from thermal coal production and refocus its attentions on oil, nickel and copper, the latter two supplying fast-growing EV and renewables sectors.

There’s nothing high tech about resistance heating in the form of an immersion hot water element. But when added to rooftop solar PV, it can be a powerful way to maximise self consumption – when coupled with a smart control system. 

Victorian households can now sign up for sonnenFlat, an energy plan that offers a guaranteed annual energy allowance including solar, storage and grid energy usage for a fixed fee.

Western Australia’s government says nearly a third of successful applicants in the latest round of the state-backed commodity exploration scheme hopes to discover battery materials. In other news, the state government has established the Energy Transformation Taskforce in response to the energy sector’s transition from coal to renewables and distributed energy resources. 

The Victorian Government has taken the decision to pay rebates, under its Solar Homes package, to some 600 otherwise eligible households who installed solar PV systems but failed to follow the program’s procedure. 

The Brisbane-based energy storage company has been contracted to supply its zinc-bromine flow battery solution for a smart grid projects sponsored by China’s National Energy Bureau. It has also secured a preferred supplier status with New Zealand-headquartered Soul Energy to provide batteries for the first of a number of expected infrastructure projects throughout Australasia.

The developers of the 35 MW Brigalow Solar Farm are challenging the new solar installation rules introduced by the Queensland government.