New South Wales

Echoing a growing appetite for corporate renewable power purchase agreements in Australia, Ascham School has become the first school in New South Wales to ink a long-term deal with commercial electricity retailer Flow Power.

With the appointment of UGL, publicly-listed developer Genex Power has finalized a project delivery team for the 50 MW Jemalong Solar Farm.

In a major shift towards owning renewable energy generation assets, electricity network infrastructure owner Spark Infrastructure has fully acquired the 120 MW Bomen Solar Farm in NSW. The project has inked a power purchase agreement with Westpac, which marks a big step towards its goal of sourcing 100% renewable electricity by 2025.

The University of New South Wales (UNSW), the birthplace of pioneering PV technologies, is now developing another innovative solution: a large-scale hybrid energy storage that will combine lithium-ion batteries and hydrogen fuel cells. The first system will be installed at Risen Energy’s 121 MW Yarranlea Solar Farm in Queensland.

The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and Adelaide-based laser supplier Lastek are developing equipment and procedures to accurately measure the performance of multi-junction solar cells with the help of an LED-based solar simulator.

The solar households which choose to participate in the trial will receive direct cash payments of up to $135 per year, depending on the size of their battery system.

With solar panels already installed on dozens of its buildings, the City of Sydney has upped the ante with the goal to source 100% of its electricity needs from solar PV and wind. The commitment has been endorsed by Council this week, and a new 100% renewable electricity contract will be negotiated in the coming months.

One of the Gold Coast’s most iconic pieces of infrastructure, the Sand Bypass System, will soon welcome a 100 kW solar array as part of a pilot project aimed at reducing operational costs.

If re-elected on Saturday, the NSW Coalition will change strata laws to reduce the minimum votes needed to install solar panels, battery storage and electric vehicle charging points in strata buildings. The government has also pledged to give $20 million more funding to the Emerging Energy Program and $10 million in funding for a solar panel and battery recycling program.

The Independent Planning Commission has approved a hotly contested $200 million solar farm near Gunnedah in New South Wales, under some added conditions.