Oceania

The Australian Energy Market Operator is looking to fast-track the deployment of advanced inverter capabilities to support Australia’s “once-in-a-lifetime transition” to a power system featuring reduced synchronous generation, such as coal-fired generation.

The Australian arm of global fund manager Octopus Group has expanded its renewable energy portfolio, teaming with the Clean Energy Finance Corporation to purchase the rights to develop two proposed utility scale solar-storage hybrid power plants in Victoria’s Gippsland region.

Researchers at the University of New South Wales will look to improve the quality of advanced solar PV cells after the project secured a share of more than $1.5 million in the latest round of the Australian Research Council’s (ARC) Linkage Project Grants.

Energy industry body the Smart Energy Council has declared it may sue the Morrison government for its recent routing of the Australian Renewable Energy Agency. After the federal government’s expansion of the renewable energy agency’s remit survived a challenge in the Senate this week, the illegality of the government’s attempt to fund fossil fuels may have to be settled in the courts.

Australia’s rooftop solar PV market has emerged as the second largest generator by capacity in the nation with new data published by the Australian Energy Council showing that small-scale solar is overshadowed only by coal-fired generation.

Work on the Jabiru Hybrid Renewable Project – featuring solar PV and battery energy storage – has achieved another milestone with project developer Energy Developments Limited confirming clearing works for the power plant being built in the World Heritage-listed Kakadu National Park are now complete.

Renewable energy developer Elliott Green Power is pushing ahead with expansion plans while continuing to seek a buyer for its Australian solar PV assets, announcing it has received approval to develop a utility scale battery alongside the 75 MW Susan River Solar Farm in regional Queensland.

Less than a week after fire broke out at the Victoria Big Battery in Geelong, Australian renewable energy developer Maoneng has given lithium iron phosphate batteries the tick of approval, declaring it will use the technology at its utility scale battery energy storage system planned for Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula.

Australia-based Fortescue Future Industries has partnered with JSW Energy arm on green hydrogen production and application in India.

Melbourne-based company carbontrack has secured $877,000 in funding to accelerate the commercialisation of its energy management technology. The funding comes in part from industry and in part from the federal government.