New South Wales

The largest battery energy storage system yet built in New South Wales is now fully operational with developer Edify Energy announcing that the 150 MW/300 MWh Riverina and Darlington Point Energy Storage System is importing and exporting electricity at its full nameplate capacity.

Landowners in the path of the multi-billion-dollar HumeLink transmission project claim Transgrid is relying on flawed economics that favour overhead lines with a new report suggesting the network operator’s costings for putting the cables underground are out by almost 60%.

Australian technology company Infravision plans to “supercharge” the development of its drone-enabled powerline stringing system and software technology solutions after securing a “game-changing” $36 million (USD 23 million) from global energy and utility investors.

Solar payback periods worsened in Australia between 2020 and 2022, but have now turned a corner, data from analyst Sunwiz illustrates. Queensland has seen the most remarkable journey, with payback periods for residential solar and storage falling from 10 to 6.6 years within 12 months.

EnergyAustralia’s plans to install a 500 MW/2,000 MWh big battery energy storage system adjacent to its Mt Piper coal-fired power station in New South Wales are gathering momentum with the Hong Kong-owned generator and retailer receiving approval to conduct site investigation works.

Australia’s first coordinated renewable energy zone is a step closer to realisation with the environmental impact statement for the transmission infrastructure required to connect at least 3 GW of new clean energy generation capacity to the national grid now open for public scrutiny.

Origin Energy has secured a $45 million (USD 28.7 million) commitment from the New South Wales government to advance the development of a commercial-scale green hydrogen manufacturing hub on Kooragang Island near Newcastle.

Hydrostor has penned a deal with Australian miner Perilya to build a 200 MW/1,600 MWh advanced compressed air energy storage facility in a disused mine cavity near Broken Hill in western New South Wales.

Mytilineos’ 75 MW Wyalong Solar Farm in the New South Wales Riverina region has now begun feeding into the grid, with almost two thirds of its generation contracted to NBN Australia, the national broadband network.

UNSW researchers have found a new approach to photochemical upconversion, which involves converting low light particles into higher-energy light particles. The discovery has potential to unlock innovations in renewable energy, particularly solar, with the team flagging it could raise the efficiency limit of solar devices from 33.7% to 40% or beyond.