South Australia

Australia’s record-breaking uptake of small-scale rooftop solar and growing interest in home battery systems almost guarantee virtual power plants (VPP) will play a key role in the nation’s energy system into the future and Energy Networks Australia (ENA) has identified the “blueprint” for their successful integration into the grid.

Some 2,400 South Australians will soon be fogging up the bathroom mirror without qualms about the cost of heating water, as Solahart implements a trial that controls hot water systems to put in their main effort when the sun is high.

Flinders University in Adelaide has announced its campuses and facilities are now officially 100% powered by renewable energy from campus-based solar arrays and a local wind farm.

Australia’s record-breaking embrace of residential and commercial solar PV continues to reduce grid demand in the nation’s electricity systems and has delivered a “world first” for South Australia with solar power matching 100% of the state’s underlying demand for the first time on record.

Nicola Murphy, SA Water’s Senior Manager, Zero Cost Energy Futures has the sunniest disposition as she works steadily to ensure the substantial energy needs of the state’s vital water utility are solar powered from source to faucet.

An unexpected loss of more than 400 MW of rooftop PV in South Australia earlier this month has reinforced how critical accurate forecasting tools are for the management of networks with high shares of renewable energy.

AGL remains on track to add at least 850 MW of new large-scale battery storage to its portfolio by 2024 after securing energy storage technology companies Fluence and Wärtsilä to supply up to 1 GW of grid-scale battery storage.

South Australia rounded out 2020 with a record-setting day, in which solar and wind supplied 99.6% of demand on the state’s electricity network on Dec. 27. But as solar veteran and Amrock MD Pierre Verlinden explains, there is some serious infrastructure needed if the state is to realise its 100% renewable ambition.

One Stop Warehouse Finance has been disciplined by the Clean Energy Regular after it was found responsible for the creation of 49,400 improper small-scale technology certificates between 2017 and 2020.

As Christmas lights twinkled their last, South Australia’s electricity grid spent a whole day basking in sunshine and turning towards brisk summer breezes. Renewables ruled — a taste of future feasting on clean energy.