Australia

Australia’s rooftop solar market has climbed by more than 16% in the past month with the latest data revealing that 237 MW of small-scale rooftop PV capacity was installed last month as consumers increasingly turned to solar-plus-storage solutions.

A 141 MWdc solar farm and big battery with up to four hours of storage proposed for central western New South Wales has been given the green light by the federal government less than three weeks after plans were submitted for assessment.

Researchers at University of New South Wales have reported details about a novel sieving-aids technology that improves the separation of metal fragments from other components when recycling end-of-life PV panels. The patented process reportedly enhances the recovery of silver.

The Victorian government will wipe up to $25,000 off upfront installation costs for a 100 kW rooftop solar system, and up to $34,300 off a 200 kW system to reduce cost burden from transmission network upgrades, and lower consumer energy bills.

Australia has more solar panels per person than anywhere else in the world. One in three houses now has rooftop solar. Our grid operators are working hard to adjust to a new reality where the collective output of rooftop solar is one of our largest sources of power.

Thirty remote schools in the Fiji islands are receiving off-grid solar installations with support from the Australian government REnew Pacific program to boost digital learning tools access and reduce reliance on diesel generators.

The largest ever tender for grid-forming batteries in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory has been released by grid owner/operator Transgrid, which plans to request proposals for services from the second half of 2026.

The installation of almost 500,000 solar panels at Victorian solar farm will be completed this week, thanks in part to a collaboration with US robotics company Luminous, which has trialled its autonomous fleet at the site, during the construction phase.

Achieving Australia’s 2035 energy goals needs engineering firms to have project intelligence at their fingertips, through unified, real-time data about a project, its people, and finance, to ensure accurate forecasting, avoid delays and maximise performance.

University of New South Wales researchers have filed patent protection and are working to scale production of a new class of photostable organic molecules proven to boost silicon solar cell efficiency, reduce heat and extend panel lifetimes using singlet fission.