Queensland

The Queensland government has committed $48 million to progress two pumped hydro projects in the state, declaring energy storage will play a critical role in its push towards a renewable energy future.

Resource sector heavyweight Rio Tinto has called for proposals to develop an estimated 4GW of large-scale wind and solar farms and firming capacity in central and southern Queensland as it progresses plans to power its aluminium operations in the state with renewable energy.

Brisbane-based Line Hydrogen is seeking $2 million in crowdfunding investment from Australians who want to contribute to the green energy revolution at the ground level by getting its Tasmanian and Queensland green hydrogen projects off the ground.

Australian redox-flow battery specialist Redflow has upped the ante on its plans to expand into the United States market, announcing it has completed testing that will pave the way for its battery energy storage system to be used in conjunction with hybrid inverters manufactured by United States solar engineering company Sol-Ark.

The switch has been flicked on what has been labelled one of the Southern Hemisphere’s largest rooftop solar PV systems with Queensland government-owned Yurika announcing an almost 5MW system installed atop the Logan Hyperdome Shopping Centre is now operational.

With Australia’s presence felt strongly at the World Hydrogen Summit in Rotterdam last week, state governments are working to secure European markets through partnership agreements. Yesterday, New South Wales signed an initial agreement with Denmark which will see the distant pair support one another on matters of decarbonisation technology and trade. Just a few days earlier, Queensland’s government signed an MoU with the Netherland’s Port of Rotterdam to collaborate on opportunities to develop a hydrogen export supply chain.

Australian renewable energy developer MPower has boosted its solar PV and energy storage portfolio, announcing it has finalised an $8 million transaction which will see it purchase the Lakeland Solar & Energy Storage Project in far north Queensland.

A plan to “rewire” one of Australia’s largest cities by electrifying the region’s homes and vehicles and powering them with solar energy would save the average household almost $5,000 a year, generate more than 24,000 jobs and provide an overall annual economic benefit of approximately $3.9 billion.

Queensland-based transport group SeaLink Marine & Tourism has won state government backing to build a “world-first” internationally compliant renewable hydrogen-powered passenger ferry.

Japanese industrial heavyweight Sumitomo Corporation has declared a green hydrogen pilot plant to be built at resources giant Rio Tinto’s Yarwun alumina refinery near Gladstone in Queensland has the potential to shape the future of the heavy industry sector in Australia.