Oceania

New South Wales network Transgrid has announced it will trial the first dual-cab electric ute released in Australia.

If re-elected in March, the New South Wales Liberal and National coalition say they will fast track the rollout of public and private electric vehicle (EV) chargers by reforming strata and planning laws, and installing public facilities at transport hubs.

US aluminium giant Alcoa will go ahead with trialling a steam recycling technology aimed at reducing emissions at its West Australian Wagerup facility, after an ARENA-backed study found the technology was not only feasible but cheaper.

The Australian Alliance for Energy Productivity (A2EP) has released a free, online estimation tool to aid Australian businesses in sizing heat pumps to replace gas boilers. The tool estimates the capex, opex, net savings, and payback time based on inputs about heating, cooling, location, and temperature requirements.

Cabonne Shire Council in New South Wales is the latest of Australia’s local governments looking to latch onto the benefits of solar power, announcing it will develop a 4 MW solar farm and energy storage system to help slash its energy bills.

UK-headquartered fund manager Glennmont Partners has its sights firmly set on the Australian renewable energy market after announcing it plans to acquire, build and operate a portfolio of large-scale solar farms and energy storage assets as part of a $145 million (USD 100 million) strategy.

Energy Australia has been convicted and fined a total of $1.5 million (USD 1.04 million) following the tragic death of a worker at the Yallourn power station in Victoria’s Latrobe Valley.

Renewable energy developer Vast Solar will progress plans to deliver Australia’s first commercial-scale concentrated solar power plant after securing financial backing from the federal government to build a 30 MW/288 MWh facility near Port Augusta in South Australia.

A surge of community battery trials in Australia is seeking to make better use of the country’s vast distributed solar resource. But the results so far have battered expectations. pv magazine Australia’s Natalie Filatoff and Bella Peacock explore the motivations, challenges, and outlook for sharing and monetising solar rooftop riches.

Network operator Essential Energy has installed its first grid-scale battery energy storage system on the New South Wales electricity network as part of a “critical” trial designed to allow more renewable energy into the grid and drive better network utilisation.