Northern Territory

Renewables company Pacific Energy has deployed a first-of-a-kind containerised hydrogen electrolyser and fuel cell as part of a technology development project that is exploring the feasibility of using hydrogen as a clean energy source and storage solution for the Northern Territory’s grids.

French renewables developer TE H2’s ambition to be an early mover in Australia’s giga-scale renewable energy generation and hydrogen production industry has received a boost with the Northern Territory government awarding major project status to the proposed Darwin H2 Hub.

A solar and battery energy storage project that will deliver a major boost to the renewable energy system that helps power a remote community on Bathurst Island off Australia’s northern coastline is rapidly nearing completion with a team of four workers taking just four days to roll out 1.2 MW of solar.

South Korean technology giant Samsung is reportedly looking to develop a ‘mega scale’ renewable generation, storage, and green manufacturing hub in the Northern Territory, its government has announced. However, no actual details on the size, nor any real specifics, appear to be known.

Sun Cable, which plans to build a 20 GW solar farm in the Northern Territory and export solar-generated electricity to Singapore via a 4,300-kilometre high-voltage undersea cable system, has announced plans to manufacture the power cables itself at a “multi-billion facility” in Tasmania.

Fledgling renewables developer Larrakia Energy has reached an agreement with Australian resources company Tivan Limited to supply up to 10% of the output from a planned 300 MW solar farm being developed in the Northern Territory.

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.

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. 

SunCable’s sale to Mike Cannon-Brookes’ Grok Ventures has today been completed, with the company flagging new project elements, including a subsea cable manufacturing and testing facility, as well as reiterating its vision of delivering bulk energy to Singapore via undersea cables.

Victorian company Proa says it has found a software-driven solution to the grid connection rules which have crippled solar projects in the Northern Territory. Requiring only a fractional amount of battery storage, the solution “replaces lithium with smarts” and effectively enables solar to be “scheduled,” Managing Director Victor Depoorter tells pv magazine Australia.