Australia

Major universities across Australia are turning to solar PV to bring down energy costs, and to show leadership on climate change. In addition to deploying rooftop arrays across campuses, they are now developing their own renewable energy assets and coming to inventive financial arrangements, emerging as torchbearers in this booming corporate PPA market.

While the SRES appears safe, the rooftop PV market is likely to thrive even as the certificates phase out. So says Hans-Georg Einwagner – Area Sales Manager Asia-Pacific Region, for Austrian inverter maker Fronius. With something approaching 40% market share in the DG rooftop segment in certain segments, Einwagner says Fronius’ quality and service model is behind the company’s strong showing.

Alice Springs, the solar capital of Australia, has welcomed its first big battery. The 5 MW energy storage system is projected to double the share of solar in the local grid, which can currently supply up to 40% of the Alice Springs’ power needs.

After taking a 90.1% stake in one of Australia’s largest solar PV projects – the 255 MWp Sunraysia Solar Farm last month, U.K.-based infrastructure investor John Laing has closed its second solar project in Australia – the 174.9 MWp Finley Solar Farm in New South Wales.

The amount of large-scale solar capacity that commenced generation during the third quarter of 2018 was higher than the NEM’s entire large-scale solar capacity at the start of the year, reports the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO). In other news, Western Australia has pass the 1 GW solar milestone, while South Australia has seen record levels of curtailment.

Half of Victoria’s energy could come from renewable energy source, as the Labor government has vowed to expand the state’ renewable energy target from 40% in 2025 to 50% in 2030, if re-elected.

Victorian renters could be able to access rooftop solar power in a new scheme for renters unveiled by Labor leader Daniel Andrews and Lily D’Ambrosio. The announcement, made at Gippsland Solar in the LaTrobe Valley today, would provide $82 million in rebates over 10 years, targeting an initial 50,000 homes.

Australia has slipped from fifth to sixth place in EY’s biannual RECAI, citing “political upheaval” and the appointment of Angus Taylor as federal energy minister. The 52nd edition of the index, released today, has seen little movement among the top 10 countries, with Germany, the UK and Australia all falling one position.

Bloomberg New Energy Finance has significantly increased its forecast for global deployment of behind-the-meter and grid-scale batteries from now to 2040. The research company sees Australia among nine markets that will be driving this trend, as the economic case for batteries becomes unstoppable.

The NSW Department of Planning has given the green light the 55 MW Vales Point solar project, one of the first large scale solar power plant in Australia to operate in conjunction with a coal-fired power station.