Oceania

Solar battery systems should maintain power supply when the grid goes down. Right? Well, it’s not always that simple. A recent pv magazine Australia webinar, hosted in partnership with SMA, was looking into different homeowner needs and ways to install an emergency power or ‘full home backup’ system. Here are the answers to some of the webinar attendee’s questions.

With enough large-scale projects under construction or already built to meet the 2020 Renewable Energy Target, the Clean Energy Regulator keeps tracking the progress across the market, as the development pipeline nears the 9 GW threshold.

Renewable energy set a new record level in August with 25.6% of electricity supplied across the NEM, according to a new report by a progressive think-tank, The Australia Institute. This volume of new generation is likely to significantly increase competition in the wholesale market, thereby putting downward pressure on prices, the report finds.

German-headquartered project developer juwi Renewable Energy has inked an agreement with the University of Queensland to deliver a solar+storage hybrid power solution at its research station located in the Great Barrier Reef.

Applications have officially opened for 50% rebates on rooftop solar installations under the Victorian government’s Solar Homes program, announced just weeks ago. The subsidies will be available until 30 June next year.

Australia’s policy maker for the energy markets has approved the establishment a national register of small-scale distributed energy resources, which will give AEMO and distribution network businesses more data to help in planning and operating the power system as it transforms.

The developers that emerged as winners in the Victorian government’s first renewable energy auction have confirmed receiving support agreements from the state to ensure revenue certainty for the projects. The companies have also outlined their construction plans, some of which even include batteries.

AGL has announced it will no longer install solar panels on homes, a decision which has brought with it a $47 million loss.

Although initially expected to deliver around 650 MW, Victoria’s first renewable energy auction has smashed the goal, delivering 928 MW of renewable capacity. Six projects will be developed in total, three wind and three solar, under the state’s renewable energy target. In a separate announcement, the Andrews government promised to provide half price solar batteries for 10,000 Victorian households, if re-elected.

By keeping up the current rate of solar PV and wind deployment, Australia is forecast to comfortably exceed the 2020 RET of 33,000 GWh, achieve 26% emissions reduction by 2020/21 and meet its Paris greenhouse emissions target in 2024/25, shows new analysis by the Australian National University (ANU). In 2018 and 2019 combined, over 10 GW of renewable energy could be installed.