Oceania

Victoria’s Deakin University will spearhead what it claims will be the largest recycling and clean energy advanced manufacturing ecosystem in Australia after securing $50 million in funding through the Federal Government’s $242.7 million Trailblazer Universities Program.

Some believe Australia has begun to tip over the “solar cliff,” reaching penetrations that are becoming disruptive to the balance of the grid and to the business models of solar companies themselves. Following notable exits from the market, alarm bells are ringing for solar companies to offer more than just solar installations, writes pv magazine’s Bella Peacock.

The International Energy Agency expects the global expansion of solar PV, wind power and other renewable energy technologies will continue to defy rising costs and supply chain bottlenecks to reach triple-digit growth this year with solar additions forecast to reach almost 200GW.

Singapore-headquartered solar manufacturer Maxeon Solar Technologies has declared it is moving “beyond the panel”, teaming with multinational battery manufacturer AlphaESS to develop integrated solar and energy storage solutions for the residential sector.

It’s disappointing that EV adoption policy in Australia has been put on the back-burner this election, writes Des Hang, CEO and co-founder of Carbar. The concern is that action on this issue will be slow regardless of who gets into power, simply because it’s not generating as much buzz as it should during the campaign.

New Zealand’s transition to renewable energy has received a boost with German investment manager Aquila Capital teaming with renewable energy asset developer Far North Solar Farm to announce they will commence construction on a 1GW portfolio of large-scale solar PV projects.

The software, called HOMER Front, is designed for standalone or hybrid solar or wind-plus-storage applications, aimed at maximising revenue streams.

The largest product of the series is a solar module with an efficiency of up to 22.5% and a power output of up to 700 W. For all the panels of the series, the temperature coefficient is -0.26% per degree Celsius and the manufacturer offers a 12-year product guarantee and a 30-year power output guarantee.

Origin Energy has secured planning approval for a 700MW/2,800MWh grid-connected battery to be developed at the site of its coal-fired Eraring power station in the New South Wales Hunter Valley.

With global demand for both large scale and distributed battery energy storage on the rise, Australian battery manufacturer Energy Renaissance has reaffirmed its commitment to produce a lithium-ion storage solution using Australian suppliers and components.