Victoria

Melbourne Airport, one of the Australia’s busiest travel, transport and freight hubs, has revealed plans to expand its solar PV energy portfolio just days after formally unveiling one of the nation’s largest behind-the-meter solar farms.

U.S.-based hydrogen vehicle maker Hyzon has announced Melbourne will soon be home to its Australian headquarters as part of a newly formed partnership with RACV, which will see the pair develop a purpose-built facility for Hyzon out of RACV’s Noble Park operation in the city’s south east.

Australian financial institution Bendigo and Adelaide Bank has turned to solar PV to improve its bottom line with a 200 kW rooftop system installed atop its major corporate site in Bendigo in regional Victoria.

Victoria’s Bowens has invested $1.2 million in a large scale rooftop solar installation along with power factor correction units in order to cut its carbon emissions and promote sustainable practices in the construction sector. With new home builds and renovations surging across Australia, it is not just residential rooftops that can make an impact on the nations’ carbon footprint, but commercial rooftops as well.

Australian investment manager Infrastructure Capital Group has stepped into the solar energy sector with the acquisition of a majority stake in a ~300 MW solar PV and energy storage portfolio from clean technology developer and investment firm Providence Asset Group.

Australian renewable energy developer Maoneng’s 240 MWp/480 MWh big battery project proposed for Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula is a step closer to realisation after it secured development approval from the state government.

Transport accounts for approximately 20% of the Victoria’s emissions while also being one of the more hard to decarbonise sectors. Due to its commitment to halve its emissions by 2030, the Victorian government has announced over $7 million in grands for a number of projects seeking to commercialise real world applications in the transport sector powered by renewable hydrogen.

This year will see a suite of new rules introduced governing the sale and installation of rooftop solar. While the Clean Energy Regulator’s new rules will apply across the country, Victoria’s state government has also introduced its own set of additional ordinances – among them, a ban on door-to-door sales or cold-calling for solar, electricity and gas companies alike.

As Australia stares down a deluge of worn out solar panels, recycling – and indeed upcycling – programs are grinding into gear. In Victoria, a site has been found for Australia’s first facility to recover and reuse solar module materials, while Reclaim PV has extended its manufacturer partner and pickup location lists.

Norway-based REC Group’s REConstruct Initiative is helping communities hit hard by the Black Summer Bushfires of 2019-2020 by donating solar systems to help bring savings on electricity bills and independence to vulnerable areas cut off from the grid during the catastrophic fires.