Lightsource bp looks to sell package of Australian solar farms
Global solar developer Lightsource bp is reportedly testing buyer interest in five Australian projects, hiring Macquarie Capital to run early-stage market soundings on the deal which could potentially be worth around $1 billion (USD 670 million).
GMG wins regulatory approval for battery manufacturing plant
Australian clean tech company Graphene Manufacturing Group plans to scale up the development of its battery energy storage technology that it claims charges 70 times faster than a lithium-ion battery and has three times more battery life.
Sydney’s Magnis Energy signs deal with Tesla, quietly abandons Townsville gigafactory plan
Australian graphite miner turn integrated lithium battery company, Magnis Energy Technologies, has signed a significant offtake deal with electric vehicle giant Tesla. The agreement comes the same month the company quietly dropped its plan to build a 18 GWh lithium-ion battery factory in Townsville, northern Queensland.
Australians encouraged to ‘give a XXXX’ as brewer opts for solar
Iconic Australian beer brand XXXX will be brewed using 100% clean energy after parent company Lion inked an agreement to source renewable power from Lightsource bp’s 176 MW Woolooga Solar Farm in southeast Queensland.
Arnott’s Group links with Stanwell in shift to renewables
A 40,000 sqm factory in Virginia, Queensland, is to be powered with 100% renewable energy after Australian biscuit manufacturer Arnott’s Group signed a long-term power purchase agreement with energy generator Stanwell.
CS Energy continues transition with first 100% renewable energy PPA
Queensland government-owned CS Energy has inked its first 100% renewable energy contract in a move that the state government says highlights the accelerating transformation of the utility’s generation fleet from fossil-fuel fired power plants to renewable sources, including wind and solar.
Queensland to roll out 1.5 MWh fleet of neighbourhood batteries
Queensland government-owned network provider Energex will partner with Australia’s largest energy retailer Origin Energy to deploy 35 neighbourhood batteries across the city of Ipswich as part of an $10 million (USD 7.1 million) initiative designed to better manage the increasing penetration of rooftop solar PV in the region.
Japanese oil giant opens green hydrogen pilot plant in Brisbane
Japan’s largest oil company, Eneos, has opened a green hydrogen demonstration plant at Bulwer Island in Brisbane. While the scale of the project is relatively small, producing just 20 kilograms of green hydrogen a day, Eneos Senior Vice President Yuichiro Fujiyama says the company will expand the project’s scale “in near future.”
New digital solar tool launches promising to save customers from aggressive sales tactics
Australian climate tech platform Acacia will launch a new solar feature enabling customers to get a digital solar quote, as well as estimated financial and carbon savings, without speaking to any sales people. The company says the tool is in response to what are often poor buying experiences in the solar sector.
Queensland to build $75m vanadium, rare earth processing facility for burgeoning battery industries
The Queensland government will invest $75 million (USD 53 million) to expand a critical minerals demonstration facility in Townsville – a project it claims will be an Australian first. The facility, slated for operations in 2025, is part of a growing push in Australia to develop battery materials industries beyond simply mining.
