New South Wales

UK-based developer Renewable Energy Systems Group is planning to build a 250 MW/600 MWh battery energy storage system in the New South Wales Hunter region that is says would provide critical grid services and support Australia’s renewable energy transition.

Sixteen projects representing more than 4.3 GW of large-scale generation and long-duration storage have been shortlisted as part of the first of a rolling schedule of competitive tenders designed to ensure New South Wales’ successful transition from coal-fired power generation to a renewables-based energy system.

Scientists from Australia are among an international team of researchers that predict lightweight, high-performance perovskite solar modules could soon become competitive with crystalline PV modules in the residential segment, as such products will likely have lower manufacturing and balance-of-system costs in the future.

In pursuit of its Australian target of developing 3 GW and delivering 1 GW of renewable projects by 2027, China-headquartered PV module manufacturer and project developer Risen Energy has unveiled plans to develop a 100 MW/400 MWh battery in regional New South Wales.

Australian climate tech platform Acacia will launch a new solar feature enabling customers to get a digital solar quote, as well as estimated financial and carbon savings, without speaking to any sales people. The company says the tool is in response to what are often poor buying experiences in the solar sector.

Construction has now begun on the 93 MW Girgarre Solar Farm in central Victoria, about 70 kilometres west of Shepparton. The project has been in development for at least five years, and was initiated by Leeson Group’s founder and director, Peter Leeson, before being sold to Enel Green Power in 2019.

With the challenges associated with solar waste becoming increasingly significant, the New South Wales government has released an issues paper seeking to identify new economic value in the renewable energy transition while also ensuring the rollout of clean energy technologies is as environmentally sustainable as possible.

Australian energy giant AGL is advancing its exit from coal with Delta Group awarded the contract to demolish the Liddell Power Station as the site is prepared for transformation into a clean energy hub dominated by a 500 MW/2 GWh grid-connected battery energy storage system.

Shell Energy has acquired the development rights for a 500 MW / 1000 MWh battery located at the former Wallerawang coal power station site, near Lithgow in the Central Tablelands region of New South Wales.

Major shopping centre landlord, Vicinity Centres, has teamed up with Enel X to potentially deploy up to 50 MWh of cumulative energy storage capacity. The partnership kicks off with two battery fit outs in Victoria and New South Wales, and follows a $73.2 million (USD 50 million) solar rollout across Vicinity’s shopping centres.