Oceania

The Sumitomo Corporation has simultaneously signed a contract with an EPC for a solar-powered green hydrogen production plant in Gladstone, Queensland, while also commencing a feasibility study for a grey-green hybrid hydrogen project in Oman. Considering the relative similarities in distance between the two countries and export markets in East Asia, the Japanese conglomerate looks to be setting the stage for competition in the hydrogen economy.

Edge-of-grid communities are under increasing threat of debilitating power outages due to disasters driven by climate change. A new report quantifies the benefits of transitioning some 244 communities to microgrids or individual power systems.

The LAVO 40 kWh battery incorporates an electrolyser, groundbreaking UNSW materials science, and Australian fuel-cell technology, in a slick unit that will be market ready in June this year. Gowing Bros last week became an equity investor and LAVO’s first major customer.

Housing developers around Australia are catching on to the allure of incorporating solar in buildings from the get go. This weekend the Queensland Government announced plans for two new state-sponsored solar-powered residential developments to light the way for more private companies to install rooftop PV and batteries as a matter of course.

Nicola Murphy, SA Water’s Senior Manager, Zero Cost Energy Futures has the sunniest disposition as she works steadily to ensure the substantial energy needs of the state’s vital water utility are solar powered from source to faucet.

French renewables giant Engie and Pilbara ammonia producer Yara have secured $2 million in funding from a West Australian Government seemingly determined to transform the state into a renewable hydrogen superpower.

An unexpected loss of more than 400 MW of rooftop PV in South Australia earlier this month has reinforced how critical accurate forecasting tools are for the management of networks with high shares of renewable energy.

World-first electric vehicle (EV) charging technology that is 50% quicker than existing 50 kW EV charging stations and capable of simultaneously charging two vehicles has been rolled out on the Gold Coast.

Leading solar inverter manufacturer Goodwe has doubled the warranty provided with its on-grid inverters to 10 years as the company looks to build on its success in the Australian residential rooftop PV market with an increased presence in the commercial sector.

Australian researchers have analysed different ways to improve the efficiency of PV-powered water electrolysis for hydrogen generation. They include the use of magnetic fields, light energy, ultrasonic fields, and pulsating electric fields. Energy costs remain prohibitive, but molecular movement and the redistribution of molecules in water during electrolysis could open a path to viability.