Oceania

Researchers from the University of Sydney have created a new sodium-sulphur battery which they say provides four times the energy capacity of lithium-ion batteries and is far cheaper to produce, providing the potential to dramatically reduce energy storage costs.

Chinese PV technology manufacturer Trina Solar has launched an upgraded version of its Vertex S All Black module featuring an increased output of about 30 W hoping to capture a significant portion of Australia’s growing residential and commercial solar market.

French renewable energy giant Neoen has secured development approval to build a 1 GW /4 GWh big battery in Western Australia as the state government seeks to ramp up energy storage capacity to support its planned transition from coal-fired power to renewables.

The International Energy Agency says that it expects the use of renewables to support global hydrogen production to surge over the next five years. The Netherlands and Denmark, meanwhile, have revealed plans to expand electrolysis capacity.

South Korean steel producer Posco Group will invest $60 billion (USD 40b) in Australia by 2040 across the green steel supply chain, including in renewable generation, electrolysis and steel making processes.

A poll of more than 2,000 Australians has found 78% agree the federal government should expand the national rooftop solar subsidy to include household battery storage. The concept has floated around for the last years, most notably in the form of a federal bill tabled by independent MP Helen Haines, but may have an uptick of support amid spiralling energy prices.


Squadron Energy, part of the Forrest’s family’s Tattarang Group, has acquired one of Australia’s biggest renewables players, CWP Renewables. The deal, reportedly worth more than $4 billion (USD 2.7b), came as something of a surprise with Squadron’s bid undetected beside highly publicised offers from Iberdrola, Tilt Renewables and Origin.

The Western Australian government has made a number of announcements at a hydrogen conference held in its capital on Tuesday, December 6, including a commitment to streamline project approvals, releasing new policy and guidance for Crown land use, and an update to the state target of having green hydrogen comprise 1% of the generation in the state’s main grid.

A free version of SunSPOT, a tool for tailored guidance on the ideal solar and battery set ups, has now been launched. Developed by APVI and UNSW, the online tool allows users to calculate size, cost and potential savings from household renewable systems and is the only such platform offering this information without a sales motive.

University of Queensland spin-off Pure Battery Technologies which has developed a greener, cheaper process for refining critical battery materials has received a $57.45 million (USD 38.5 million) loan from the European Investment Bank to build a demonstration plant in Hagen, west Germany.