Townsville battery gigafactory reaches new milestone
Plans to develop an 18 GWh lithium-ion battery factory in northern Queensland have reached an important milestone with the project feasibility study submitted to the Queensland government.
Horizon becomes first utility to replace overhead network with stand-alone solar and battery systems
Today’s project milestone saw the disconnection of the properties from overhead lines and will enable 64 kilometres of poles and wires to be replaced by off-grid solar+battery solutions.
Workers’ union calls for regional jobs in renewables, li-ion batteries, green hydrogen
The Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union is recommending an overhaul of policies to promote manufacturing in regional Australia along with a major push to create new jobs in a range of industries, including lithium batteries, green hydrogen and renewables.
Australian Capital Territory completes shift to 100% renewable electricity
Today, the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) has switched to 100% renewable electricity as it started purchasing clean power from the last stage of South Australia’s Hornsdale Wind Farm.
Two major ammonia plants powered by green hydrogen planned for Queensland
As part of a broader push to develop a domestic hydrogen industry, the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) is providing $2.9 million for two studies into using solar and wind-powered hydrogen for ammonia. Both project are located in Queensland and presently use natural gas as feedstock.
Vast Solar completes capital raise for 50 MW CSP, PV hybrid project
The Sydney-based developer has raised funding for the development of a 30 MW CSP project which will be collocated with a 20 MW PV plant. The company’s innovative technology, which uses sodium as a heat transfer fluid to capture concentrated solar energy that can then be stored and used on-demand on the utility-scale, has earned Vast Solar an international award for dispatchable renewable energy technology.
New partnership to fend off cyber attacks on rooftop solar in South Australia
U.S. research corporation MITRE and the new Australian Cyber Collaboration Centre will partner to take on cybersecurity threats, with an initial focus on protecting South Australia’s smart grid.
Synergy posts huge loss from rooftop solar uptake
Western Australia’s biggest generator and retailer Synergy has blamed rooftop solar for bleeding red ink in the past financial year.
NSW proposes changes to make it easier to install solar and batteries
The New South Wales is looking to update its environmental planning policy to respond to energy technology change, removing thresholds and limits for rooftop PV and introducing clear approval pathways for battery storage installations.
Sonnen: NSW government is constantly pulsing the market
Despite a lack of initiative for the residential battery uptake on the federal level, action on the state and territorial level has been vigorous. In the run-up to the launch of the NSW subsidy scheme, sonnen CEO of APAC Nathan Dunn is talking about the manufacturer’s experience with other subsidy schemes in Australia and what it takes for a successful program.
