Oceania

Korean solar module maker Qcells informed its local team this week that its Australian subsidiary will be closed. The decision reflects on the highly competitive Australian solar marketplace and the company’s strategic decision to focus on the United States, Europe, and its home market of Korea.

Ireland-headquartered Elgin Energy Australia have announced approval from the Victorian government to develop the 60 MW Shady Creek Solar Farm and 60 MW / 120 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS), located on Bayleys Road, Yarragon, Victoria.

Half a million homes and businesses in Victoria were left without power late on Tuesday following a major power outage. While investigations are underway as to what worked well and what fell short of expectations, Roger Dargaville, the
director of the Monash Energy Institute at Monash University, says that the event demonstrated system strength.

A secluded island residence off-grid system receives new tech upgrade. The additional power and bang-for-buck demonstrates the new era of offgrid living available to Australian remote households.

The Miles government in Queensland introduced legislation to state parliament today to formalize its emissions reduction target. The move takes the form of the Clean Economy Jobs Bill, which the state’s energy minister says will help create 100,000 new jobs.

With 2023, the hottest year on record, behind us, the COP28 global assembly addressing climate change took place in Dubai. Faced with a sobering reality that a proportion of the world’s net zero targets are progressing at a glacial pace, world leaders discussed how to accelerate our collective actions to mitigate climate change.

Australian research has found EV charging facilities offered free using optimised solar systems can lower grid demand in the evening, with implications for broader nation-wide efficiencies.

Tweed Shire Council says its grid electricity consumption has dropped by 11% last year because of improved energy efficiency and additional solar projects. Together, both contributed to an overall emissions reduction of 19%.

Six electricity transmission towers in Victoria collapsed on Tuesday, Feb. 13. As a result, there were “widespread power outages” and extremely high power prices – with coal-fired generator Loy Yang A forced to shut down and disconnect from the grid.

During a state visit with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Canberra on Feb 8, Papua New Guinea (PNG) Prime Minister James Marape welcomed Australia’s recent completion of the construction of two new solar farms in West Sepik and the Autonomous Region of Bougainville.