Green hydrogen joins natural gas in WA pipelines
Canadian gas giant ATCO has unveiled its Clean Energy Hub in Jandakot which will explore the potential of hydrogen for home use in gas appliances. On the same day, the Western Australian government has launched a renewable hydrogen strategy and announced the creation of a $10 million green hydrogen fund.
Old South Freo tip solar farm gets green light
The proposal to build a solar farm on the site of the old South Fremantle tip has been given final development approval. Construction on the former landfill site, for which various redevelopment plans had been submitted since 1985, finally looks set to move ahead.
Horizon Power’s Carnarvon DER trials picks up award
Western Australia utility Horizon Power’s Carnarvon Distributed Energy Resource (DER) PV trails have received the silver award in the Energy Smart Communities Initiatives (ESCI) Best Practice Awards in the category of Smart Grids. The award recognises the necessity of DER trailing in order to find better ways to integrate solar PV into regional locations.
WA government looks to bolster battery minerals sector
The McGowan Government is continuing to forward WA’s Future Battery Industry Strategy with the launch on a new early-stage funding initiative. On Wednesday, the government announced a new online Funding Assistance Register, a further boost to the state’s ambition toward a world-leading, sustainable, future battery industry by 2025.
High voltage interconnection in place, installation set to get underway at WA’s largest PV project
Chinese PV module maker and project developerRisen Energyis pushing its 132 MW Merredin Solar Farm in WA’s Central Wheatbelt towards full scale installation. The company is hungry to meet its ambitious goal to develop 2 GW of large-scale solar PV projects in Australia.
WA’s novel solar lease popular with homebuyers at The Amble Estate
A housing development in Perth’s northern suburb Girrawheen is the first of its kind for Western Australia to provide a solar system with every home. Launched last year by provider Infinite Energy, the solar lease has proved to be a winner for homebuyers, resulting in a 40% saving on daytime power costs.
Horizon Power beefs up hosting capacity to accommodate more solar
More regional Western Australians will have the opportunity to install rooftop solar panels on their premises with 10 MW of additional renewable energy generation released on Horizon Power microgrids.
Western Australian mines to be powered with solar, wind and batteries
Two Western Australian mines will be powered by renewable energy hybrid microgrids echoing a global shift away from fossil fuels in the mining sector.
Western Power to retrain staff with standalone solar hybrid system skills
WA’s publicly owned grid operator will equip some of its staff with the skills required to install and maintain standalone power systems on the South West Interconnected Network (SWIN). The move reflects the move away from traditional poles-and-wires electricity supply, particularly to regional parts of the state’s Southwest.
WA EPA to open consultation on emissions guidelines
The Western Australian Environmental Protection Authority (WA-EPA) has announced that it will open its greenhouse gas guidelines on June 10, 2019, for public and stakeholder consultation. Its earlier moves to incorporate greenhouse emissions into its evaluation process for resource-industry projects met with strong pushback from the state’s powerful mining lobby.
