Oceania

West Australian smart solar glass developer ClearVue has made the move into the residential housing market, securing its first order to supply its power-generating solar PV windows for a luxury residence being constructed in the Australian Capital Territory.

University of New South Wales researchers have teamed up with Tindo Solar to develop a line of semi-transparent modules, specialised for agrivoltaic cropping, which will use nanoparticles tuned to capture different parts of the light spectrum. “There is evidence you don’t need the full spectrum and some plants will work even better if you provide them with only part of the spectrum,” project lead and UNSW Associate Professor Ziv Hameiri tells pv magazine Australia. Crucially, he says, the project will also open a line between farmers, solar researchers and industry, creating the potential for mutual benefits.

Rideshare giant Uber plans to accelerate the roll out of electric vehicles in Australia, teaming with Sydney finance company Splend to put 500 more electric cars on Australian roads.

Australia’s largest network battery will be built at the site of the former coal-fired Lake Munmorah Power Station as the New South Wales government accelerates its plans to fill the gap created by the fast-tracked closure of the country’s biggest coal generator.

Enabling future energy flows at the lower-voltage distribution level? Unlikely. Wide-scale hardware upgrades would cost billions if not trillions, especially in Australia’s far reaches. Software and digital solutions are identifying new cost-effective ways of letting more sun into the grid.

In a big week for Shell, the oil major has announced two joint ventures: the first of which involves the development of one of Australia’s largest batteries at 500 MW / 1,000 MWh alongside partner Ampyr Australia. The second involves the acquisition of a hybrid wind, solar and battery project in Western Australia with the UK’s Foresight Group.

Shell Energy Australia has been awarded $9.1 million from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency to recruit at least 40 commercial customer sites, including shopping centres and supermarkets, to begin shifting how and when they use electricity – a demonstration of the potential of flexible demand.

A plan to build a 2 GW / 20 GWh pumped hydro project in the pit of an old gold mine in southeast Queensland has been declared a ‘Coordinated Project’ by the state’s Coordinator-General, a mechanism intended to fast track the plan.

World-beating Australian solar technology company SunDrive has completed a new $21 million (USD 13 million) funding round which will help commercialise its revolutionary solar cell technology that replaces silver with copper to improve solar panel efficiency and reduce costs.

Australian electricity gen-tailer EnergyAustralia will investigate the feasibility of installing a 500 MW/2000 MWh big battery energy storage system adjacent to its 1.4 GW Mount Piper coal-fired power station in New South Wales.