rooftop solar

As Synergy prepares to switch on its first big battery, the state-owned utility has revealed it plans to build a new 200 MW/800 MWh battery energy storage system at Kwinana to support the state’s main grid and enable the uptake of more renewables in Western Australia.

Rooftop solar households in regional Queensland are set to receive almost 40% more for the PV-generated electricity they send back to the grid after the state’s pricing regulator proposed an increase to the feed-in tariff.

South Australian electricity distributor SA Power Networks has announced it will work with retailers AGL and Simply Energy to explore opportunities to enable the orchestration of existing rooftop solar systems, an innovation that is expected to support the increased uptake of renewables and help the stability of the grid.

The Australian renewables and energy solutions arm of global energy Shell is finalising the installation of a solar-powered virtual power plant featuring battery energy storage systems deployed across 16 New South Wales government buildings.

Australian energy management software company SwitchDin has announced it will build the Southern Hemisphere’s largest lab dedicated to researching and testing distributed energy resources at its headquarters in the New South Wales Hunter region.

The solar ambitions of residents in the western Melbourne suburb of Tarneit are now underpinned by a neighbourhood battery. Victorian network service provider Powercor connected the 120 kW/360 kWh energy storage system to its network to make the most of the strong rooftop PV penetration in the area.

The New South Wales government has announced an $8 million (USD 5.5 million) pilot program which will support the entire electrification of three communities across the state. It is anticipated the initiative will include the deployment of solar, batteries and local electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

Network operator Essential Energy has installed its first grid-scale battery energy storage system on the New South Wales electricity network as part of a “critical” trial designed to allow more renewable energy into the grid and drive better network utilisation.

Rooftop solar stronghold Western Australia has been offered a glimpse of its energy future with the market operator having activated its first virtual power plant to prevent household blackouts after heatwave conditions sparked concern for the state’s main energy grid.

A new code for retailers of ‘new energy tech’ products including rooftop solar, battery energy storage systems, electrical vehicle chargers and other emerging energy products and services has been introduced to raise consumer protection standards in Australia.