South Australia sets up $50 million Grid Scale Storage Fund
The South Australian state government has launched a $50 million fund to support construction of new energy storage projects, seeking to address intermittency in the state electricity system and make electricity more affordable and reliable. There will be one round of applications, with a closing date of Thursday, 7 February 2019.
CSIRO, Fortescue enter into hydrogen partnership
Iron ore giant Fortescue Metals Group will invest $20 million into hydrogen research at Australian national science agency CSIRO’s Brisbane laboratories. The partnership aims to develop new technologies, create jobs, and capitalise on the economic opportunities associated with hydrogen.
WA’s first merchant solar farm starts generating to grid
The 10 MW Northam Solar Farm has begun feeding electricity into the grid. According to Carnegie Clean Energy, full commercial operations is expected in the coming weeks once the required tests are completed successfully.
RCR Tomlinson enters administration
After it entered the second trading halt in a matter of months a week ago, Perth-based engineering company RCR Tomlinson has failed to secure additional funding and went into administration. Earlier this year, the company managed to raise $100 million in capital from its shareholders, after which it took huge write-downs on two Queensland solar farm.
Labor “clean energy powerhouse” plan welcomed by RE sector
Federal Labor leader Bill Shorten unveiled the party’s ‘all of the above’ plan for Australia’s energy sector, which it will take to the 2019 election. A ramped-up NEG, project auctions under a CfD structure, grid infrastructure investment, energy efficiency and a boost to battery storage all feature and were welcomed by the clean energy sector.
Eguana Technologies approved for SA Home Battery Scheme
The Canadian battery manufacturer has been approved as the third battery storage provider for the South Australian Home Battery Scheme. Eguana plans to set up a manufacturing facility in Adelaide, creating up to 200 new jobs over the next three years.
Video: time is of the essence for PV project quality
With the Australian solar market booming across all three market segments, the first pv magazine Quality Roundtable at All Energy Australia discussed how time constraints for installers is threatening quality in the rooftop sectors. And for the utility scale, a more sophisticated approach to modelling project output can hasten grid connection and AEMO acceptance.
Superior warranty, reduced impact of shading key to SunPower’s Limondale selection
SunPower has reported that the enhanced power density and 25-year warranty for its shingled P-Series modules was a key factor behind its selection by Belectric as the module supplier to the 349 MW Limondale utility scale solar project. Chris O’Brien, SunPower’s Australian Managing Director reports “strong bookings” for the new module concept.
Queensland kick-starts battery grant and loan scheme
Under the scheme, the state government will offer a combination of grants and interest-free loans for solar and battery storage systems to help 1500 Queensland households and small businesses save money off their energy bills.
AEMO well-prepared for summer, renewables to help manage peak periods
As 2.1 GW of new capacity – mostly wind, solar and storage – has come online in the previous year, AEMO has sourced much less additional reserves than last year to manage potential high risk scenarios that typically occur in summer. Over the next two years, the market operator expects 6 GW of new wind and solar capacity to be connected to the grid, which will alleviate the short-term risk of involuntary load shedding during summer peak periods.
