Solar PV

Australia’s first large-scale solar and big battery storage installation – the Lakeland project in far north Queensland – has been placed on the sales block with MPower announcing it will use the proceeds to further expand its portfolio of PV and battery storage projects.

In Australia’s electricity system, more and more energy from sunlight and wind is being “spilled” – or not converted to electricity. In the past year, the amount of renewable energy spilled was roughly equivalent to the annual consumption of 750,000 typical households, or three months of consumption for the state of South Australia. Some have attributed these dynamics as being driven by a “solar power glut”.

Social licence commitments have been prioritised over commercial operation dates in the guidelines for Australia’s first national renewable electricity generation tender that is seeking to deliver 6 GW of renewable capacity across the National Electricity Market.

While most long-duration energy storage (LDES) technologies are still early stage and costly compared to lithium-ion batteries, some have already, or are, set to achieve lower costs for longer durations, finds BloombergNEF.

Australian infrastructure asset manager Palisade Investment Partners has secured $258 million in new debt financing to back the further expansion of its gigawatt-scale renewable energy platform.

Chinese manufacturer Longi says its new Hi-MO X6 Scientist series has a temperature coefficient of -0.28%/C and a power output ranging from 620 W to 630 W. They rely on the company’s proprietary hybrid passivated back contact cell technology.

Australia’s first eight-hour battery energy storage system is set to go ahead with German energy major RWE announcing it has taken the investment decision and signed key contracts for the Limondale battery project being developed in southwest New South Wales.

Australian energy infrastructure asset owner and manager Sustainable Energy Infrastructure is set to broaden its development strategy, teaming with renewables developer ACEnergy to roll out an initial tranche of seven battery energy storage systems with a combined capacity of approximately 35 MW/ 70 MWh.

Australian Energy Minister Chris Bowen believes the federal government’s $1 billion Solar Sunshot initiative could result in domestic manufacturing providing 20% of the nation’s PV panel needs by the end of the decade.

The Australian government has knocked back a proposed 100 MW solar farm being developed amid coal-seam gas projects dotted across the Surat Basin in Queensland’s Western Downs region.