Oceania

The Western Australian government has introduced a new environmental assessment exemption order in a bid to facilitate smoother and faster approvals for major renewable energy projects and support the state’s decarbonisation efforts.

Japan-headquartered renewables developer Bison Energy has signed a supply agreement with tracker manufacturer GameChange Solar that is to underpin the development of five Australian solar projects totaling more than 125 MW.

Former Sun Cable chief executive David Griffin has been appointed to the top job at Australian modular PV array manufacturer 5B where he will oversee the continued rollout of its solar energy solution.

Amid predictions Australia’s energy system faces a summer of extreme demand, the market operator has forecast that renewables, including 2 GW of generation capacity from new wind and solar projects, will counter the risk of power outages.

The managing director of Omers Infrastructure, a Canadian infrastructure fund with stakes in FRV Australia and Transgrid, has said the company is “well short” of its investment hopes for Australian renewables.

The NSW government has published a suite of draft guidelines for renewable projects, most notably proposing community benefit sharing fees of $850/MW per annum for solar, and $1050/MW for wind. While the guidelines are an attempt to level the playing field between communities, local councils, and big developers, some fear the proposed rules could undercut ongoing negotiations.

South Korean technology giant Samsung is reportedly looking to develop a ‘mega scale’ renewable generation, storage, and green manufacturing hub in the Northern Territory, its government has announced. However, no actual details on the size, nor any real specifics, appear to be known.

A key success factor in managing energy crises in a decarbonised grid is seasonal energy storage or ultra-deep storage, as we like to call it. The discussion has traditionally circled around the pros and cons of different energy storage technologies like pumped hydro and flow batteries, or the feasibility of using hydrogen as a storage medium. However, the most cost-efficient solutions may actually lie outside of the electricity sector.

Researchers from UNSW say they have found a commercially viable pathway to the decentralised production of green, renewable ammonia. An alternative to the traditional Haber-Bosch method, the researchers used nanosecond pulsed plasma bubbles coupled with electrocatalysis.

The commissioning of stage two of Vena Energy’s 180 MW Tailem Bend solar farm in South Australia is now complete, with a 41.5 MWh battery to be coupled shortly. Tailem Bend 2 was first energised in February, but took until now to be fully commissioned.