Oceania

Australians love rooftop solar power. About 4 million homes have solar panels on their roofs, and we generate more solar energy per person than any other country. But affordability pressures on homeowners are holding them back from installing rooftop solar on millions of homes. Without this, Australia could struggle to meet its goal of generating more than 80% of electricity from renewables by 2030.

Australian researchers are collaborating with organisations in India, Indonesia and the United States to develop a zero-carbon, automated end-of-life solar panel recycling process using robots to recover ultra-pure silicon.

Researchers from the University of New South Wales are building and validating a prototype of their AI-enabled wireless sensing system that can spot dangerous heat in lithium-ion batteries before it progresses to thermal runaway.

The New South Wales government has granted planning approval to the 500 MWdc / 435 MW solar farm componant of Ark Energy’s Richmond Valley hybrid project, which will be co-located with a 475 MW / 2,200 MWh battery energy storage system.

Developers of a series of artificial intelligence factories being built across Australia at a cost of $73.3 billion, say they will be 100% powered by renewable energy and could stimulate 5.1 GW of solar, storage, hydro and wind projects.

Bids have opened for the Capacity Investment Scheme Tender 7 seeking 5 GW of generation in the National Electricity Market, with caveats to be operational by 31 December 2030 and have a forecast generation profile that displaces more fossil fuel generation.

In a novel study to further solar waste forecasting in Australia, the economic decisions of rooftop solar owners have been shown to fast forward waste and recovery needs 10 years earlier than a system’s warranty.

Researchers at the Queensland University of Technology have secured $2.2 million for a project to diversify cathode production for batteries in the Indo-Pacific region alongside 11 research projects receiving funds from a $24 million federal government pool.

Spanish renewable energy giant Iberdrola has acquired the proposed 270 MW / 1,080 MWh Tungkillo battery energy storage project in South Australia from United Kingdom-based clean energy developer RES Australia in a $492 million deal.

China-headquartered PV cell and module manufacturer TW Solar has introduced into the Australian market a “full black” n-type solar panel featuring an output of 470 W and a power conversion efficiency of 23.5%.