New South Wales

The 2018 NSW Smart Energy Summit was crowded with attendees eager to hear former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, unfettered by party politics, address the state’s solar and renewables sector.

The ASX-listed company which aspires to ‘close the loop’ on the energy-metal cycle has successfully produced lithium-ion batteries from tri-lithium phosphate sourced directly from a mine dump. It has also reported outstanding results in lithium recovery in excess of 90%, using its SiLeach process at the ANSTO Minerals pilot plant in New South Wales.

One of the nation’s largest vineyard owners, Australian Vintage, has announced a major hybrid renewable corporate PPA, based on which it will ensure 90% of its power at its Buronga Hill Winery is met by solar and wind for the next 10 years.

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.

Australian developers Energy Estate and MirusWind have proposed a massive renewable energy hub in New South Wales. The project will combine wind and solar energy generation with pumped hydro storage and other storage options to provide up to 4 GW of new clean generation.

German inverter supplier SMA has continued to build on its very strong position in the Australian large scale solar market segment, being selected to supply what will be the largest PV power plant in the country. The Limondale Solar Farm in NSW will 57 SMA MPVS systems and two SMA Power Plant Controllers.

The Newcastle City Council has begun construction on a 5 MW Summerhill solar farm located on a disused landfill that was once part of a coal mine.

The University of Technology of Sydney (UTS) will cover the equivalent of half of its annual electricity needs with solar power from the 32 MW Walgett Solar Farm in north-west NSW. The power purchase agreement will allow the $40 million solar project to break ground.

The New South Wales government is set to accelerate $2.5 billion worth of transmission projects in order to address grid bottlenecks and unlock low-cost, low-emission generation in new areas of the state. As part of its grid transformation plan, NSW will boost connections with its neighboring states and bring forward the Snowy Hydro scheme.

After taking a 90.1% stake in one of Australia’s largest solar PV projects – the 255 MWp Sunraysia Solar Farm last month, U.K.-based infrastructure investor John Laing has closed its second solar project in Australia – the 174.9 MWp Finley Solar Farm in New South Wales.