Oceania

German energy storage producer Varta Storage has entered the Australian market. It is introducing the pulse 3 and pulse 6 models, sized at 3.3 kWh and 6.5 kWh.

German energy storage system manufacturer Tesvolt has launched a new battery storage system designed to withstand testing outdoor applications. The TS HV 70 can be equipped with up to four battery racks and inverters, allowing it to scale from 67 kWh up to 307 kWh.

German energy storage provider Younicos is introducing C&I battery storage systems on a rental basis. The company says service is ideal for offgrid industries such as the Australian mining sector.

Retailer Powershop Australia is partnering with Reposit Power to offer a customers with rooftop PV and battery storage a quarterly payment plan in exchange for access to customers’ batteries. The Virtual Power Plant program will be called Grid Impact and Powershop says it will help stabilise the electricity network.

Oil and gas giants Total and BP are entering the Australian large-scale solar segment. Rystad SERA made the observation in its latest report.

Western Australian households and small businesses may have to continue to rely on Synergy for their electricity. Media reports indicate that the WA Labor Government is backing away from plans to introduce full retail contestability (FRC) for residential and small commercial electricity consumers.

Scientists at Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) have demonstrated the first working example of a ‘proton battery’, which utilizes a carbon electrode and reversible hydrogen fuel cell for the storage of energy. The scientists say that their small prototype has already demonstrated similar storage capacities to commercially available lithium-ion batteries, with plenty of potential for further optimization.

February rooftop solar installations exceeded 115 MW, well above the less-than 80 MW installed in the same month 2017 – itself a record-breaking solar year in Australia. Green Energy Markets’ latest STC figures reveal the “extraordinary” installation rates.

French firm Neoen has begun development on a hydrogen electrolyser to be colocated alongside a 150 MW wind project and 150 MW solar farm. The project has been awarded a grant of $1 million by the South Australian Renewable Technology fund, with more funding yet to be approved.

The Grattan Institute has warned that surging small-scale solar system installations are depressing midday wholesale electricity prices – giving reason for subsidies to be cut and putting downward pressure of residential PV FITs. Green Energy Markets’ Tristan Edis says the level of solar generation is not yet a problem, and that simple solutions to absorb solar energy during the day are at hand.