Oceania

Transmission network operator Transgrid has secured state government approval for a “critical” $2.28 billion electricity interconnector that will link the New South Wales and South Australian energy networks for the first time.

At midnight tonight Australia’s National Electricity Market will undergo a major regulatory change with the introduction of a market reform that has been more than four years in the making.

Spanish energy group Iberdrola has added another utility scale project to its Australian portfolio with the purchase of the 190 MW Avonlie Solar Farm in New South Wales from UK-based developer Renewable Energy Systems Group (RES).

Australian Vanadium Limited has appointed a Western Australian engineering firm to begin the stage one of what it says will become the country’s first vanadium electrolyte manufacturing plant, part of the company’s broader value adding vision.

New South Wales, Australia’s most populace state and largest economy, has upped the green ante, today setting a new target which will see it rival clean energy powerhouse South Australia. The state government is seeking to spur more than $37 billion in private investment from its policies, hoping to double the state’s economy.

New South Wales households and businesses will soon be incentivised to install technologies and appliances which can operate outside peak demand times as part of a scheme the state government’s claims could save consumers $1.2 billion on electricity bills by 2040.

Energisation testing is set to resume from tomorrow for Neoen’s 300 MW / 450 MWh Victorian Big Battery, following the fire which caught global attention and destroyed two of its Megapacks on July 30.

Solar cell production could consume every ounce of the world’s known silver reserves within a few years. One industry guru and his UNSW colleagues have set out the case for carefully considering what happens next.

Buildings are considered to be a major driver of emissions. In addition to the predicted billions of square meters of space that will be built across the world over the next decade, most developments standing today will still be around in 2050. Thus, retrofitting existing structures is seen as a key sustainability target. In the fourth quarter of 2021, pv magazine’s UP Initiative will focus on the role that solar and energy storage can play in greening the world’s urban spaces.

The past week saw more records broken in the National Electricity Market (NEM), with instantaneous renewable generation hitting a record 59.8% in the afternoon of Sunday 19 September 2021, before breaking 60% for the first time on Monday 20 September 2021. Sunny weather across both days meant rooftop solar made up around half of renewable generation at this peak output, reducing operational demand and suppressing prices during the day.