Oceania

Australian clean energy startup H2X Global will look to accelerate the development of its hydrogen vehicle power train and fuel cell technology after securing the support of Amazon Web Services, a subsidiary of the world’s largest e-commerce enterprise.

Investment in financially committed large-scale renewable energy generation and storage projects in Australia ramped up in the final three months of 2022 to its highest level in more than four years but the Clean Energy Council has warned the pace remains inadequate.

Queensland government-owned renewable energy corporation CleanCo has unveiled plans to transform the former coal-fired Swanbank power precinct in the state’s southeast into a clean energy hub with the potential to generate up to 1.2 GW of clean energy.

As the cost of living soars, many Australian households are turning to rooftop solar to cut their energy costs. A Pulse of the Nation survey last month showed about 29% of Australians have installed or are considering installing solar panels on their homes. The same survey shows one in five Australians can’t afford to adequately heat or cool their homes.

Australian resources developer Vecco Group has secured state government backing to build a $26 million (USD 17 million) vanadium electrolyte manufacturing facility in the north Queensland city of Townsville with production set to be used in grid-scale vanadium flow battery projects.

The Bendigo Bank has reported a massive 600% spike in customers accessing green loans in the last year. The news comes just after the federal government’s green bank paired up with the Commonwealth Bank to begin offering builders and renovators working to high energy efficiency standards reduced rates on their home loans.

The investment platforms from Octopus Investments Australia are set to acquire three new projects in the coming months in Queensland, Victoria, and New South Wales. Launched in 2022, the OREO and OASIS platforms “allow wholesale investors and mums and dads to invest alongside big institutional investors and get access to big projects in Australia,” Managing Director Sam Reynolds told pv magazine Australia.

Hydrogen truck maker Hyzon has launched what is being hailed as Australia’s first locally designed and built hydrogen-powered truck at its regional headquarters in Melbourne. The 27-tonne truck is hitting Australian roads in a series of commercial trials this year, including as part of a longterm partnership with RACV, which has ordered three tow trucks.

Executives from Gentari, the clean energy subsidiary of Malaysia’s state-owned oil company Petronas, and Japan’s biggest steelmaker, Nippon Steel, are eying Australia for future investments in renewables projects and green-steel manufacturing.

Australian mining company Australian Rare Earths is moving forward with plans to apply for a licence to mine rare earths in South Australia’s southeast as part of its flagship Koppamurra project.