AEMC proposes raising price caps to ensure market reliability over energy transition
The Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) has proposed increasing price caps on the country’s main electricity market. This is meant to allow investors to respond to fill gaps created by ageing coal generation.
Substantial increase in solar fires caused by DC isolators recorded in state data
Data shows a sharp increase in the number of fires caused by the DC isolators that separate the grid from solar panels. ABC News gathered state-by-state data revealing a dramatic increase in fire incidents in the last 12 months.
Adding rooftop solar to social housing tenants brings equality, savings
Modelling from UNSW and the Australian PV Institute has found governments investing in rooftop solar for state-owned and NGO-owned social housing would save low-income tenants money, deliver returns within just a handful of years, and support the grid with new generation.
‘No transition policy is going to be realised with current strategies’: shifting focus to existing grid’s untapped 10 GW
New digital modelling technology has made visible 10 GW of untapped capacity in Australia’s existing electricity networks. “That 10 GW number is probably achievable without any meaningful incremental cost investment,” Neara cofounder Jack Curtis tells pv magazine Australia. “This is something that’s really only come into awareness of policy makers, and even the private sector, in past six months.”
Thermal storage company approved to build renewable and agriculture precinct in central NSW
Australian thermal storage company, Graphite Energy, has received development approval for a $29 million (USD 18.6 million) sustainable energy precinct in Lake Cargelligo, in the mid-west of New South Wales.
Federal government unveils first community battery, district not selected on merit
The first of 400 planned community batteries has now come online in the Sydney district of Reid as per a promise Labor made while in opposition. The 412 kWh battery is sorting power from 50 households with rooftop solar and sharing electricity with approximately 150 households.
Distributed PV, battery storage curtailment in low-voltage networks
University of New South Wales (UNSW) researchers have looked at energy losses in South Australia and have identified average curtailment of 1.5% for distributed PV sites and 0.2% for distributed PV coupled with batteries, but some locations experience generation losses of up to 25%.
NSW raises coal royalties, adding $2.7b to future budget
New South Wales has increased its coal royalty scheme for the first time since 2009 in a move that is expected to boost the state’s budget by more than $2.7 billion (USD 1.72b) from 2024 to 2028.
Low-cost, ‘graphene-enhanced’ perovskite solar cells to be produced in funded Wagga Wagga project
Two Australian companies working in solar R&D have been awarded over $2 million (USD 1.3 million) for a project seeking to commercialise ultra-low-cost, flexible perovskite solar cell fabrication. The solar cells will be “graphene-enhanced” and are to be produced in Halocell’s Wagga Wagga plant in NSW.
New research finds Australia’s lithium deposits likely extend across eastern states
New research from the University of Sydney pinpointing the concentration and distribution of lithium in Australian soils has found elevated levels in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria.
