Oceania

Zhengrong Shi and his company, Suntech, are true pioneers of the Chinese solar industry. While Suntech burned bright, and eventually flamed out, under Shi’s leadership, the company’s solar ecosystem and innovation persist as China’s PV market surges past 100 GW(AC) today.

A new national authority to help plan and coordinate Australia’s transition from fossil fuel production and associated industries to a renewables dominated economy has been unveiled ahead of next week’s Federal Budget.

The Australian Energy Market Commission says the regulatory process for new transmission network projects must be overhauled to strengthen social licence and speed up the multi-billion-dollar expansion of the grid that is critical to the transition from coal to renewables.

Chinese solar module maker Risen Energy has launched two new n-type panels into the Australian market, targeting both the rooftop and large-scale PV markets.

AGL Energy last week shut its Liddell coal-fired power station in the Upper Hunter, ending generation from the site after more than five decades. Cornwall Insight Australia energy market analyst intern Darshitha PP takes a look at how the grid coped after the unit went offline.

The International Renewable Energy Agency has released new data on the cost of capital for solar PV, onshore and offshore wind in the period between 2020 and 2021. Results show that Australia has the second lowest cost of capital in the Asia Pacific region at 4.6%, beaten out by China at 3.9%.

Local government in the Dutch province of North Brabant will deploy a 500-metre-long solar array on a bike track and test its performance over a five-year period. The PV system will be integrated into the asphalt top layer and will consist of 600 solar panels of an unspecified type.

Public housing tenants in the outback town of Alice Springs are set to share in the benefits of renewable energy with the Northern Territory government launching a rooftop PV and battery energy storage trial that will help inform the planning of future public housing builds and management of solar power on current stock.

Australia’s energy minister has revealed the upcoming Federal Budget will include support for a new revenue underwriting mechanism that is expected to unlock billions of dollars of renewable energy investment and “gigawatts of power” to support the ongoing decarbonisation of the grid.

The International Energy Agency expects Australia’s “outstanding” economic fundamentals for residential and commercial rooftop solar will see the sector stabilise in 2023 after a new report revealed the PV market contracted in 2022.