Oceania

Rooftop solar installations may now be conducted by multiple installers, the Clean Energy Regulator (CER) announced today. The rule change will afford companies more flexibility as CER continues tightening its surveillance of the rooftop industry.

Australian renewable energy and storage developer Genex Power has confirmed it is the target of a takeover bid having received an unsolicited offer of more than $300 million from a consortium of private equity firms led by Australian technology billionaire Scott Farquhar’s Skip Capital.

The Australian Capital Territory government has firmed its commitment to deliver one of the largest battery storage systems in the Southern Hemisphere to support Canberra’s energy grid and the continued uptake of renewables with funding allocated in the upcoming budget to progress the Big Canberra Battery project.

Having established a strong foothold in the Australian market with its solar PV panels, Chinese manufacturer JinkoSolar is now seeking to expand its influence in the energy storage space with the launch of its modular Suntank home battery storage system.

Australian energy major AGL has announced that Victoria’s largest hydropower scheme will undergo a $40 million expansion in a move designed to improve energy security and help support the state’s continued uptake of renewables.

Italian utilities giant Enel Group is reportedly looking to sell a substantial share in its Australian renewable energy platform, Enel Green Power, to help fund an estimated 3.6 GW development pipeline in the country.

Australian renewable energy start-up Canyon Solar has unveiled a prefabricated solar PV shade structure for commercial carpark applications that it claims can be installed at least three times faster than traditional systems and outcompetes rooftop solar PV on a dollar-per-watt basis.

The Federal Government has moved to scrap controversial changes to the Australian Renewable Energy Agency’s mandate that allowed it to fund some fossil-fuel related and carbon capture storage technologies, signing regulations which make it clear the agency will focus on renewables and electrification.

The Energy Security Board has declared the impending electrification of Australia’s transport fleet has the potential to revolutionise the way consumers receive and use energy and has issued a call for input on how best to support the effective integration of smart charging for electric vehicles into the National Electricity Market.

Chinese manufacturer JA Solar said that tests have shown that n-type modules have a 3.9% higher power yield than their p-type counterparts. Germany-headquartered technical service provider TÜV Nord has confirmed the results.