Oceania

Panasonic and Reclaim Energy have partnered to launch a heat pump hot water system to the Australian market, claiming it is up to five times more efficient than gas or traditional electric heating.

Australia’s federal hydrogen support program has now opened to applications after this process was expedited – likely in response to concerns Australia is rapidly losing ground in the hydrogen race.

Thermal energy storage startup MGA Thermal had fire crews called to its demonstration plant in Tomargo, north of Sydney after the company’s pilot unit overheated. “We haven’t seen anything like this before,” Scott Dodson from Fire and Rescue NSW said.

Australia’s antitrust watchdog has approved Brookfield’s takeover bid for Origin Energy, clearing the way for shareholders to vote on one of Australia’s largest recent corporate buyouts.

1Komma5° says it plans to start production at a new TOPCon solar module factory in Germany from next year. The Hamburg-based startup aims to achieve an annual production capacity of 1 GW, with further expansion targets set to reach 5 GW by the year 2030.

The largest battery energy storage system yet built in New South Wales is now fully operational with developer Edify Energy announcing that the 150 MW/300 MWh Riverina and Darlington Point Energy Storage System is importing and exporting electricity at its full nameplate capacity.

Australian renewable energy developer Genex Power says has committed to building the 2 GW multi-stage Bulli Creek solar and battery project in Queensland’s southeast after entering into a 25-year offtake agreement with the green energy arm of Fortescue Metals Group.

Landowners in the path of the multi-billion-dollar HumeLink transmission project claim Transgrid is relying on flawed economics that favour overhead lines with a new report suggesting the network operator’s costings for putting the cables underground are out by almost 60%.

Electricity generator Stanwell Corporation has supersized its plans to develop grid-scale iron flow battery storage systems in collaboration with Queensland-based battery manufacturer Energy Storage Industries – Asia Pacific, announcing a binding agreement that could deliver a 150 MW commercial battery by as early as 2029.

The Federal Government has legislated emissions reductions of 43% below 2005 levels by 2030. Sourcing electricity from renewable technologies is fundamental to meeting this, with a much-publicised target of 82% renewables in the grid by 2030 – up from a current value of 38% over the last year.