Oceania

Australia’s peak solar body is urging its members and the renewable energy community to support robust emissions standards for new cars. The federal government released a consultation paper on the new standards today and has provided one month for public submissions.

Global energy storage technology company Fluence has more than 1 GW of battery projects operating or under construction in Australia and it is now broadening its strategy beyond hardware to include optimising asset performance and servicing.

Australia’s energy transition risks falling behind with a new report showing that the time required to plan, build and commission a large-scale solar farm is almost four years with the final stage of the process having blown out to six months or more.

The Australian government’s new gas deal is designed to head off any supply shortages at the end of the decade. Yet, the latest data shows that gas consumption dropped 16% in the October to December quarter compared with the same period a year earlier due to warmer temperatures in Victoria and lower commercial and industrial demand.

Transgrid has released details of its preferred route for the northern portion of the VNI West interconnector project that will connect the New South Wales and Victoria electricity grids.

Commonwealth Bank-backed energy retailer and technology company Amber Electric has raised $29 million (USD 18.9 million) in capital that is earmarked to scale the business in Australia and to take its battery and electric vehicle automation software offshore.

Sharp’s new IEC61215- and IEC61730-certified solar panels have an operating temperature coefficient of -0.30% per C and a bifaciality factor of over 80%.

Elgin Energy’s Glanmire solar farm and battery energy storage system planned for the New South Wales Central Tablelands region has been given the tick of approval by the state’s Independent Planning Commission – subject to “strict” conditions set in recognition of community concerns.

The economic benefits of integrating battery energy storage solutions in commercial settings have been highlighted by Relectrify which has released data showing that a recently commissioned 120 kW Revolve battery has reduced the customer’s import of energy from the grid by more than 94%.

The City of Melbourne has partnered with Origin Zero to deliver three battery energy storage systems as part of its plan to establish a network of co-ordinated community batteries across the city to better manage the increasing penetration of rooftop solar and periods of peak demand on the network.