Oceania

The Australian EV passenger fleet may be just a twinkle in the eye of green futurists, but Brisbane-based Tritium, a leader in fast-charging technology, is also rolling out its R&D, manufacturing and enabling infrastructure across more advanced markets in Europe and the US. After posting a more than $47 million loss in 2019, CEO, David Finn talks about Tritium’s outlook for 2020 and beyond.

This cataclysmic bushfire season demonstrates the risk that climate change poses to Australia’s economic and social prosperity. Stanford’s international roadmap to freedom from fossil fuels by 2050 says Australia needs another 280 GW of solar PV and tens of billions of dollars of investment to turn down the heat.

2.5 MW of solar is being deployed at three project sites in Papua New Guinea, with commercial operations likely to begin within nine months. The installations will provide power in the island province of New Ireland at lower prices, while also improving access to electricity.

As the energy landscape continues to evolve to meet the needs of the 21st century, digitalization is growing within generation, distribution and transmission. On the demand management side, Amber Electric is seeking to bring transparency to the market, passing wholesale prices directly to consumers for a $10 flat monthly fee. The Melbourne-based start-up is readying to expand its offering in 2020, as home batteries, EV chargers and other smart devices establish a firmer hold in the Australian electricity market, says Dan Adams, co-founder of Amber Electric.

Unnamed Queensland and Victoria solar businesses have been ordered to pay hefty fines, after being caught misclassifying solar mounting kits imported from China. Earlier this year, the Australian Border Force announced it was tightening screws on the dumping of aluminium extrusions, mostly used to mount solar panels.

Solar and battery optimization technology provider Evergen and solar battery provider Solar Service Group have joined forces to connect thousands of residential batteries across Australia. By delivering significant benefits to consumers, the joint venture hopes to boost the uptake home batteries nation-wide.

Kicking off from the last quarter of 2016 Australia has experienced an amazing boom in renewable energy across both rooftop solar and utility-scale projects. Over the space of just five years Australia will have shifted from just 15% of our power from renewable energy (in 2016) to 30% by 2021.

A microgrid installed on an apartment block in Melbourne will provide clean and affordable electricity to 52 low-income households. It is the first site of Ovida’s Community Energy Hubs project, which will deliver shared solar PV and batteries to more multi-tenanted buildings in the city.

Sydney-based developer Genex Power Limited (Genex) has fought its way back from several unlucky blows to achieve financial close for the 50MW Jemalong Solar Project and the refinancing of the 50 MW Kidston Solar One Project.

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) is set to fund Australian energy technology company Wattwatchers to the tune of $2.7 million. The funding will aid the development of a consumer-facing energy data hub, ‘My Energy Marketplace,’ another step forward in consumer energy empowerment.