Oceania

Transmission network operator TransGrid has confirmed works on two high priority electricity infrastructure projects which will allow for more renewable energy to be connected to the National Electricity Market have reached major milestones.

Victorian solar company RACV Solar has continued its expansion strategy with the acquisition of Great Ocean Solar and Electrical, a solar and battery installation business based on the Bellarine Peninsula in the state’s southwest.

A national advertising campaign will shine a light on the investment and job opportunities provided by Australia’s renewable energy industry as the Clean Energy Council seeks to counteract “misleading” information spread by “a minority of loud voices”.

The Australian retail arm of French renewables giant Engie has been fined $2.5 million after two “rogue” sales contractors allegedly used phoney accents and fake names to switch hundreds of customers to new energy contracts without their consent.

The evolution of Australia’s electricity grid continues at pace with the nation’s newest large-scale wind and solar projects helping produce a string of renewable energy production records in the National Electricity Market.

Australian-headquartered mining giant BHP has signed a nickel supply agreement with United States-based electric vehicles manufacturer Tesla amid reports it is considering exiting oil and gas in a move that would accelerate its retreat from fossil fuels.

New Zealand could be home to the world’s largest green hydrogen production plant with gen-tailers Meridian Energy and Contact Energy teaming up to explore the potential development of a large-scale facility in the island nation’s southernmost region.

Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has released a draft energy plan with ambitious revisions to the nation’s previous energy and emissions targets. The proposed plan will sees a doubling of renewables compared to the previous target, and significant cuts to coal and gas, much of which it buys from Australia. Meanwhile, Australian Resources Minister Keith Pitt reiterated the Coalition Government’s “Gas-Fired Recovery is the right policy for Australia.”

Solar power is already the cheapest form of electricity generation, and its cost will continue to fall as more improvements emerge in the technology and its global production. Now, new research is exploring what could be another major turning point in solar cell manufacturing.

Western Australian company Australian Vanadium Limited has been awarded $3.69 million in federal government funding to fast-track manufacturing of large-scale vanadium redox flow battery systems that can be used to support rooftop solar PV or in off-grid settings such as mining, agriculture and remote communities.