Oceania

Where do old solar panels go to die? Sending them to landfill makes a mockery of their green beginnings, and imposes a new burden on our already stressed environment. The New South Wales Government intends to get ahead of this important end game with funding to develop viable models for solar system recycling.

New research from Cornwall Insight finds grid-scale solar farms are paying 10-20% of the cost of providing frequency ancillary services to the National Electricity Market, despite currently generating around 3% of energy in the system.

Neoen’s proposed Goyder South Hybrid Renewable Energy project is so vast that analogy does it a disservice. The French developer has commenced the project’s notification period with the submission of its Development Application, giving us the first real opportunity to begin to quantify its sheer enormity. 1200 MW of wind, 600 MW of solar, and 900 MW/1,800 MWh of battery storage.

As part of the state’s economic recovery plan, the Palaszczuk Government has committed $145 million for Renewable Energy Zones in north, central and south-west Queensland.

Is airlifting solar modules the future of commercial and industrial rooftop installation? Epho Commercial Solar recently employed the use of a helicopter to airlift pallets of modules atop 12 separate rooftops at Woolworths’ massive Norwest Support Office in Bella Vista. Epho Managing Director, Oliver Hartley, sat down with pv magazine Australia to tell us why.

Blacktown City Council and Inner West Council are not wasting any time when it comes to meeting their carbon-neutrality and solar uptake goals. Both councils are currently in the process of doubling their current solar capacity in single swoops.

With two synchronous condensers installed as part of the project, the 275MWac/333MWdc Darlington Point Solar Farm hopes to help manage the ongoing integration of renewable energy generation in the West Murray region.

Following its swift completion, Risen Energy’s 132 MW Merredin Solar Farm has joined the Western Australian grid. The project has finalized its staged commissioning process and is now exporting clean energy at 100% capacity.

Analyst IHS Markit has predicted storage will rebound this year following its first year-on-year decline in 2019. The technology is being rolled out at pace despite Covid-19 with state-level policies set to keep the US the global capital for the next five years.

As renewables penetration increases, transmission and distribution (T&D) infrastructure will require significant reinforcement. Battery storage is becoming a key alternative to traditional ways of reinforcing network infrastructure, because it is fast to deploy, can provide multiple services, and often comes at a lower capital cost. IHS Markit analyst Oliver Forsyth delves into the additional value streams that strengthen the case for grid-connected batteries.