Oceania

Battery energy storage went from strength to strength across Australia in Q4 2025, seeing the technology outperform past records in both the National Electricity Market and Western Australia’s Wholesale Electricity Market.

Omnidian, GoodWe and AIKO have collaborated to install, donate and support long term, a 17 kW rooftop solar and 19.2 kWh battery storage system on an animal shelter in Victoria, and encourage industry to follow suit.

Around a fifth of solar panels examined in a new study fail much faster than expected and some may last for only half their anticipated lifetime.

A high voltage 2.5 MW / 3 MWh community battery installed through a South Australian electricity distributor, ARENA-funded program will be energised in March 2026 and remain on standby to help manage a regional community’s peak demand.

AlphaHPA has received a $75 million National Reconstruction Fund Corporation investment toward delivery of its ultra-high purity alumina plant in Queensland, which will supply critical materials for lithium-ion battery manufacturing.

There was a watershed moment for Australian energy transition this week as the Australian Energy Market Operator released its energy dynamics report for the December quarter of 2025: Renewables comprised more than half of energy supply in the quarter, driving down wholesale electricity prices by nearly half. Coal-fired generation was down 4.6% year on year, falling to an all-time quarterly low. Gas-fired generation plunged 27% to its lowest level for 25 years.

Rooftop solar generation hit an all-time high in Q4 2025, up 8.7% with an output of 4,407 MW, while also reducing daytime operational demand, contributing to battery charging, and an overall new renewable energy generation record for the National Electricity Market of 51%.

A surge of new generation and storage capacity reached full output in Australia’s main grid in the last quarter with nine projects totalling 1.8 GW of new capacity progressing through commissioning and entering operation.

Engineers at the University of New South Wales have developed a real-time monitoring technique that reveals how silicon solar cells can self-repair following ultraviolet-induced damage, offering new insights into solar panel degradation and lifetime performance.

Australian manufacturer Siltrax will push forward with the commercialisation of its silicon-based hydrogen fuel cell technology after securing the tick of approval from international testing, inspection, and certification body TÜV Rheinland.