Solar PV

With the comeback of the Victorian government’s first-in best-dressed Solar Homes program, consumers are urged to do their due diligence as they rush to apply for popular rebates. If incorrectly installed, batteries are a serious safety risk, industry body Future Energy Skills underlines.

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.

The first-in best-dressed Solar Homes program kicked off on Monday, with a half of solar rebates available in July snapped in the first day. The revamped scheme will be accompanied with a more stringent auditing program and other measures to optimize the rollout following difficulties that have plagued round one.

As part of its plans to transition to 50% renewable energy by 2030, the Northern Territory government is moving forward with its solar schools program with tenders awarded for installation at five schools.

Taiwanese analyst Energytrend saw prices for high power products fall over the past week, but so far only in China. That trend could be replicated around the world next week, however.

A public enterprise grade energy blockchain has powered up with the promise to accelerate a low-carbon, distributed electricity future. For the first time, energy sector companies are hosting validator nodes on a decentralized network as they seek to adapt to a more digitalized and decentralized energy system.

The City of Adelaide is going big on technology for low-carbon living. It has announced a new round of incentives for solar, bidirectional EV charging infrastructure, energy storage and controlled load under its Sustainability Incentives Scheme.

After a Court of Appeal dismissed the government’s application to enforce regulation requiring licensed electrical workers to mount and fix unplugged solar panels, the Queensland government has called for an urgent industry roundtable to discuss safety in large-scale solar farms.

Singapore-based proponent Sun Cable is eyeing up what would be the world’s biggest solar project by a large margin. The NT government is on board with the plans, while the environmental approval application is still in the works. Project plans include the deployment of the 5B pre-assembled array concept.

The Berejiklian government is gearing up to deliver on its election pledge and roll out interest-free loans for home battery systems. The program holds the promise to help up to 300,000 households save hundreds of dollars on their power bills.