Oceania

Brisbane-based flow battery company, Redflow, has inked $4.4 million a deal with the US Department of Defence to deliver a prototype microgrid at a New York state airbase, with up to 1.4 MWh of zinc-bromide battery storage.

The Western Australian government has awarded contracts for its 500 MW / 2,000 MWh big battery in Collie and the 200 MW / 800 MWh extension to the existing Kwinana battery. China’s CATL is set to deliver the battery units for both projects, while Spain’s Power Electronics will supply inverters.

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.

Fortescue Future Industries (FFI), owned by mining giant Fortescue Metals, has submitted a proposal for a green hydrogen and ammonia production facility project in Canada’s British Columbia. Dubbed ‘Project Coyote’ the facility would be located in the city of Prince George in the centre of the Canadian province.

Tesla has recently registered as a “Market Customer” with the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO). This development, brought to light by industry expert Jon Sibley, has sparked intrigue into Tesla’s intentions in Australia’s retail energy sector.

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. 

Japanese company IHI Corporation, which specialises in green ammonia technology to decarbonise industry, has joined the consortium of companies developing the green hydrogen hub HyNQ – North Queensland Clean Energy Project.

One of Australia’s best known solar recycling companies, Reclaim PV, has been handed down a windup notice by Victoria’s Supreme Court. The company’s insolvency highlights the deep issues of solar recycling and the complexity of trying to create circularity in an overwhelmingly linear approach.

A new report by Climate Energy Finance has revealed Australia’s diesel Fuel Tax Credit Scheme disincentivises growth in future industries and will cost taxpayers $37 billion (USD 23.8b) in lost tax revenue by 2030. The report also illustrates how capping these rebates represents a multifaceted advantage for Australian manufacturing of low and zero-emission mining vehicles.

The $54 million (USD 34m) raise for Zen Energy, managed by Western Australian Property developer Hesperia and ASX-listed Income Asset Management, is the first tranche of around $150 million that Zen Energy is aiming to raise for its pipeline of projects.