Oceania

The America-based National Renewable Energy Laboratory has released the findings of a study that assessed the technical potential for floating PV and underlined its co-benefits in environmental protection and food security.

California-based manufacturer SEG Solar says its new panels have a temperature coefficient of -0.30% per degree Celsius. They come with a 30-year power output guarantee for 87.4% of the initial yield.

Victorian network operator AusNet Services’ independent subsidiary Mondo Power has completed the installation and commissioning of 17 stand-alone power systems featuring PV and battery energy storage as part of its inaugural trial of the off-grid technology.

The 150 MW/300 MWh Ulinda Park battery project planned for Queensland’s Western Downs region is a step closer to a final investment decision with battery and renewable energy developer Akaysha Energy inking a hedging deal designed to manage revenue-related risks for the estimated $150 million (USD 100 million) project.

Australian startup Allume Energy’s SolShare platform, that allows multiple energy consumers to share the benefits of a single rooftop solar array, has been deployed in New Zealand for the first time with the technology installed at a three-storey public housing complex in Christchurch.

Solar Analytics, an Australian solar energy analytics company, is offering a new service that allows solar owners to retrieve consumption data directly from retail meters, eliminating the need for additional consumption metering. Known as Integrated+, the release to all eligible homes in the National Electricity Market (NEM) follows a trial in Victoria. 

The need to cut the emissions driving climate change is urgent, but it’s proving hard to decarbonise road transport in Australia. Its share of the nation’s total greenhouse gas emissions doubled from 8% in 1990 to 16% in 2020.

Consultation is now open on the design of the federal government’s $2 billion (USD 1.33 billion) Hydrogen Headstart program that is aimed at bridging “the commercial gap for early projects” and placing Australia on course to develop 1 GW of electrolyser capacity by 2030 through two to three flagship projects.

A 325 MW/2,600 MWh pumped hydro project planned for the New South Wales central west faces an indefinite delay with developer Atco announcing it will hold off on the next stage of the regulatory approvals process until the state government’s policy frameworks “are close to being able to support financial investment decisions for large-scale infrastructure.”

Australia and Indonesia are forging closer economic ties built on what each country can offer the other in the transition to clean energy. Indonesia is emerging as a maker of electric vehicles and the batteries that power them. Australia has the lithium reserves Indonesia needs to do this.