Oceania

An Australian research group has used an SMA inverter to switch the operating point of a PV array and has demonstrated its ability to create photoluminescence images for both rooftop and large-scale solar installations.

As Australia’s rapid renewable energy rollout continues, so too does debate over land use. Nationals Leader David Littleproud, for example, claimed regional areas had reached “saturation point” and cannot cope with more wind and solar farms and transmission lines.

A Victorian solar installation company that “repeatedly” put workers at risk when working at height has been convicted of failing to provide or maintain a safe workplace and fined $40,000.

New Zealand-based green hydrogen company Hiringa Energy has raised the bar for decarbonising the heavy transport sector by kickstarting an Australasian-wide refuelling network but the company has warned government policies are putting the brakes on its Australian plans.

Akaysha Energy has secured $250 million in new financing that will accelerate the development of two large-scale battery projects in Queensland set to add a combined 710 MWh of energy storage capacity to the National Electricity Market.

Australia’s corporate watchdog has filed a lawsuit against Sydney-based Magnis Energy Technologies and its executive chairman for allegedly failing to disclose details about the “true situation” at the lithium-ion battery company’s United States manufacturing facility.

Fifteen fire stations in Victoria’s northeast have been fitted with a combined 108 kW of rooftop solar in a move designed to improve energy security and increase community resilience during emergency events including extreme weather and bushfires.

Researchers at the University of New South Wales claim to have identified three TOPCon panel failure types that are absent in PERC products. They explained that these failures may occur when the modules are exposed to high humidity and contaminants before encapsulation.

China’s energy landscape is undergoing a staggering transformation propelled by its leadership in cleantech innovation, declining costs in renewable energy technologies and a massive acceleration of its renewables build out, underpinned by central policy support that sees decarbonisation as a key economic goal.

French renewable energy and storage developer Neoen has initiated construction of the next stage of what will be one of Australia’s largest battery energy storage systems after securing a second four-hour capacity services contract for Western Australia’s main electricity grid.