New South Wales

NSW has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 18% from 2005 levels, but mitigation has stabilised. This weekend, NSW Energy and Environment Minister Matthew Kean released the state plan for accelerating emissions reduction to 35% by 2030. It seeks to bring existing and new initiatives; Commonwealth and State funding; the Federal focus on technology and the undeniable benefits of solar and wind generation under a single umbrella.

Chinese PV heavyweight Canadian Solar has announced an offtake deal for its Gunnedah solar project in New South Wales signed with e-commerce giant Amazon.

Sydney’s City of Canterbury-Bankstown has opened an expression of interest period as it seeks the development of a single contract urban solar farm to boost its growing solar uptake.

In its world-first application, hydrogen energy storage technology developed at UNSW Sydney will be installed in the regional town Manilla, which is set for one of Australia’s major community-owned solar farms. The storage deployment will be backed by an NSW government grant as part of a funding round that has awarded seven solar and battery community projects across the state.

A massive solar+storage project nearby Uralla in the New England region of New South Wales has been given the tick of approval from the Independent Planning Commission. Project developer UPC/AC Renewables Australia says construction is likely to commence towards the middle of the year.

UNSW will divest itself of fossil fuel assets by 2025 as part of its ambitious net-zero emissions goal. The global powerhouse of renewable energy and sustainability science is advancing rapidly towards energy purity as the capital flight from fossil fuels accelerates.

The Berejiklian government has launched a pilot program that will allow eligible Hunter residents to access interest-free loans for battery and solar-battery systems.

The ARC Research Hub for Integrated Energy Storage Solutions has a broad research mandate as it looks for innovative energy storage solutions for the energy transition, but some of the nation’s finest minds are now working on them together.

Professor Guan Yeoh is an essential part of a project to commercialise a solar polymer membrane called ‘Solar Skin’, which can generate energy from both direct and indirect sunlight and off both vertical and horizontal surfaces. The technology has the potential to transform every CBD and local government area into a solar farm. pv magazine Australia sat down with Professor Yeoh for a Q&A.

A new venture funded by the Cannon-Brookes family is looking to install stand-alone solar and battery systems at up to 100 sites around Australia affected by recent bushfires and floods.