Oceania

A key lithium-ion battery cathode material could be produced in Western Australia, a Queensland University of Technology (QUT) feasibility study has found. The study, released by the WA state government today, investigated whether superior nickel-rich nickel cobalt manganese (NCM) can be produced cost effectively and sustainably in the state in which nine of the ten mineral elements required for lithium-ion battery cells are present.

ARENA is putting $2.4 million into a vehicle-to-grid (V2G) trial in the ACT, which is looking to demonstrate the ability of EVs to provide grid ancillary services. The consortium of research and industry project proponents hope to show how EVs can help regulate grid function and provide a revenue stream for electric-fleet owners.

New research from Cornwall Insight Australia suggests that the transition to renewable energies in New South Wales needs to pick up the pace quick-smart if it is going to cover the soon-to-be-revealed gap made by retiring coal generators. 

Woolworths is looking to further reduce its emissions by installing a 572 kW solar system atop its massive
Norwest Support Office in Bella Vista. However, the unique circumstances of the facility mean that solar developer Epho Commercial Solar is going to airlift the panels and system components onto the rooftop with a helicopter.

The Clean Energy Council’s latest “Clean Energy Outlook – Confidence Index” shows growing investor confidence nationwide despite the continuance of federal policy ambiguity and the economic impact of Covid-19. Investors and executives singled out NSW in particular as being among the most attractive states for renewable investment thanks to its positive statements and clear strategy.

The Australian Defence Force is set to install a 1.9MW solar array at its Headquarters of Joint Operations Command outside Canberra. The General John Baker Complex is being expanded to cater to the growing needs of cyber and space operations and as such requires the energy resilience provided by solar PV.

A New Safe and Reliable Energy Storage and Conversion Technologies Research Hub is one of five grant recipients of the Australian Research Council’s funding for Industrial Transformation. The Hub will seek to develop new technologies in energy storage to eliminate the risk of fire, as well as addressing the environmental impact of current technologies. 

Western Australia is pioneering new strategies to manage its burgeoning rooftop-top solar resource. Next stop on its DER Roadmap? Engaging commercial and industrial energy users/producers in rewarding strategies for balancing generation and demand.

Risen Australia and distributer One Stop Warehouse signed an expanded 150 MW distribution agreement last week, marking the Chinese module maker’s attempt to further expand its share of the rooftop market segment. With Risen’s new heterojunction (HJT) module, the 415-435 W Sieger, moving into mass production, One Stop Warehouse’s Leo Ye says that the “new, fresh” technology will be a welcome addition to the Australian rooftop market segment.

Energy storage is in high demand, to help manage a growing proportion of renewable energy in global electricity grids, to free off-grid communities from the tyranny of diesel, and to enable the aspirations of people not yet connected to a power supply. These two promising technologies have reached important milestones…