Victoria

The Clean Energy Council have called renewable energy the “clear winner” of the Victorian Budget 2020/21, saying the $1.6 billion in allocated in targeted funding represents a landmark for the state.

Work on a new electricity transmission line linking Victoria and New South Wales is going ahead under a joint funding agreement between Victoria’s state government and the federal coalition.

AGL’s ambitious 850 MW target of new large-scale battery storage in its portfolio by FY 2024 is seeming less like an opportunity and more like an inevitability with each passing week. Following on from last week’s announcement of a 250 MW, four-hour-duration battery at its Torrens Island Power Station in South Australia, AGL has this week announced a 200 MW battery project at Victoria’s Loy Yang A power station.

Some Australian states are choosing this moment to ensure that electric vehicle drivers are paying their fair share of funds needed to maintain road infrastructure — given that they don’t contribute via fuel excise. The moves are expected to throw a spanner in the works of drivers deciding in favour of zero-emissions motoring.

The Victorian government on Tuesday announced a $797 million energy efficiency package to accelerate the rollout of rooftop solar and batteries around the state. The package will also deliver home energy upgrades to over 250,0000 households, set new home and rental energy standards, and offer immediate bill relief to people facing hardship during the pandemic.

The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) has outlined a $3.5 billion strategy to shore up Victoria’s electricity transmission network and system security as the state accelerates towards the legislated target of 50% renewables by 2030.

As Victorians fly out of lockdown and into the thick of summer the solar industry is preparing for the release of pent-up demand for solar which was hungered for during lockdown but went unsatisfied. pv magazine Australia sat down with AC Solar Warehouse’s Grant Behrendorff to gauge the backlog of installations and talk shop in the approach to a bumper summer.

Deakin University’s Hydrogen Test Bed is set to position regional Victoria at the cutting edge of hydrogen research. The facility and its research is looking to determine whether Australia’s current gas infrastructure can be repurposed for the use of clean hydrogen.

Victoria will be home to one of the world’s largest lithium-ion batteries with the 300 MW / 450 MWh Victoria Big Battery to be constructed on the outskirts of Geelong.

Victorian utility North East Water have constructed a mini-solar farm over the carpark of their Wodonga headquarters. The 132 kW system is expected to provide half of the building’s energy use, with 330 modules generating 500kW per day in addition to the headquarter’s existing rooftop PV array.