South Australia

AGL Energy will shut down the first of four gas-fired 200 MW units at its Torrens Island ‘B’ Power Station in South Australia within three months as it looks to navigate “challenging” market conditions prompted by the ongoing penetration of renewables into the energy grid.

Australian renewable energy developer Maoneng has lodged plans to construct a ‘critical’ 225 MW/450 MWh utility scale battery energy storage system at Gould Creek in South Australia.

We’ve ticked over into July 2021, and so have left Q2 behind us… now with two units at Callide back in service, and also three units at Yallourn as well (though Yallourn unit four missed its expected return to service on Wednesday 30th June). Let’s hope prices continue to settle down.

Plans to construct a 100 MW solar PV farm and battery energy storage facility at Gillman in South Australia have been scrapped after proponent Veolia failed to ‘meet milestones’ attached to the renewable energy project.

Australian module manufacturer Tindo Solar is confident it can compete with the world’s biggest manufacturers having received a financial fillip as part of the federal government’s $55 million Manufacturing Modernisation Fund.

South Australia water utility SA Water continues to make a splash in the solar PV sector, commissioning two new solar arrays with a combined capacity of 176 kW at its facilities in Mount Gambier as it pursues an ambitious agenda to neutralise the energy costs of its operations.

South Australian transmission company ElectraNet on Monday announced it will invest $457.4 million to deliver the its section of the Project EnergyConnect, the high-voltage electricity transmission interconnector between South Australia and New South Wales.

Reclaim PV is pushing ahead with plans to expand its solar PV module recycling operations, the South Australian-based company confirming it has received the tick of approval from government departments to establish a second operation in Queensland.

The Institute for Energy Economics and Financial analysis (IEEFA) has published a report in which it points to seven key lessons energy planners the world over can take from South Australia’s extraordinary renewable energy integration. However, even South Australia, IEEFA’s model, still requires thoughtful planning and policy for the path forward.

The Housing SA Tesla VPP is being expanded to include a trial of 20 homes unsuitable for solar installation. The SA Government is offering free Tesla batteries to such homes to show how participation in the VPP with a battery alone can still deliver significant savings.