South Australia

A new report from Commonwealth Bank shows that 76% of Australian farmers would like to invest in solar with battery storage, and more than nine in ten farmers surveyed said they had some level of interest in energy efficiency investment.

A combination of rooftop solar on campus buildings and a solar car-port will soon provide one-fifth of the electricity needed to power Flinders University.

The Berri Barmera Council has invited expressions of interest for the construction and operation of a 10 MW solar farm which will contribute to delivering a predictable and cost-effective renewable energy supply within the region.

South Australia readies to welcome another grid-scale Tesla battery – 25 MW / 52 MWh energy storage system to be installed at the Lake Bonney Wind Farm.

SIMEC Zen Energy, the Australian energy arm of Sanjeev Gupta’s GFG Alliance, has officially launched its landmark US$1 billion (AU$1.38 billion) renewable energy initiative, announcing the details of its first project – the 280 MW Cultana Solar Farm.

An energy production and trading scheme designed for the Tonsley Innovation District in Adelaide will incorporate one of Australia’s largest rooftop solar arrays to provide energy to businesses and homes within the growing precinct.

A hugely-ambitious plan to develop a 200 MW PV array and 120 MWh battery system in South Australia has received development approval. The project developer, which is hosted by the University of Adelaide’s ThincLab accelerator, reports that the $450 million project is privately financed with a 60/40 merchant/PPA structure – a significant milestone for the market segment.

ABB, ElectraNet and ARENA are coming together to deliver a microgrid and large scale battery storage solution to South Australia’s Yorke Peninsula. The commercial-deployment phase of the Energy Storage for Commercial Renewable Integration (ESCRI) project will strengthen the Electranet transmission system in the area, and will deliver increased resilience in the event of interstate connector failure.

A 45 MW portion of the Bungala solar farm has begun feeding electricity into the grid. The entire first phase of the project – a 137.7 MW PV plant – is expected to be completed in a few months.

Dylan McConnell from the Australian German Climate and Energy College, at the University of Melbourne, evaluates Federal Government Minister for Urban Infrastructure and Cities Paul Fletcher’s claim that South Australians face the highest electricity charges in Australia as a result of the former Weatherill Government’s policies.