Victoria

Commercial and industrial (C&I) PV and energy efficiency provider Verdia says that its deal to supply Stockland shopping centres with rooftop PV is just the beginning of a major wave of new installations in the fast-growing market segment. Verdia reports it is working on 130 MW of projects across 350 sites.

Beon Energy Solutions is set to begin construction on BayWa r.e.’s 112 MW Karadoc solar farm in Mildura, Victoria. Completion of the project is scheduled for late 2018.

Electricity retailer Powershop is dropping the rates for its Victorian customers by 5%, as it adds “a diverse set of renewable generation” to its portfolio. Powershop is the retail arms of New Zealand-based utility Meridian Energy.

It is the blackout, and fallout, that many were anticipating. The heatwave and power outages yesterday and today in Melbourne has brought with it politicking over the cause.

Monash University has announced plans to develop a PV powered microgrid at its Clayton Campus in Melbourne. The microgrid will meet the energy demands of the campus, provide ancillary services to Victoria’s grid, and provide an example for further research and industry engagement with renewable-centered energy systems.

The latest in a series of international players in the residential storage space, French hybrid inverter supplier Imeon Energy has announced plans to open a new service center in Melbourne, providing further evidence of Australia’s attractiveness in this market.

Large-scale storage began to gain a lot of attention in 2017, particularly after Elon Musk’s famed ‘100 days’ tweet back in March. Now that this project has proved an initial success, it looks like more big batteries are on the way for the National Electricity Market (NEM).

The Victorian Renewable Energy Auction Scheme (VREAS) makes community engagement an eligibility and evaluation criteria for funding, with a benefit-sharing program a first in State Government regulation of renewable energy projects.

‘Solar Air-BnB’ model emerges from 2017 Melbourne Energy Hack. Consumers that do not have access to rooftop for a PV installation can be connected to roofs that are currently free of PV in the innovative solution.

The Victorian Andrews Labor Government’s Renewable Energy Target (RET) has passed into law. The move mandates 25% of the state’s electricity is to be sourced from renewables by 2020 and 40% by 2025.