The $1 billion program is designed to grow solar PV manufacturing in Australia and support global supply chains. The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), in consultation with the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW), will design the program which aims to accelerate the development of Australia’s solar manufacturing industry, catalyse clean energy industries and help Australia […]
The 350kw array features 644 individual solar panels and floats on one of the treatment lagoons at the Drouin wastewater treatment plant. Gippsland Water said it is the largest floating solar array in Australia. Gippsland Water Acting Managing Director, Simon Aquilina, said the solar panels were part of the organisation’s commitment to renewable energy targets. “These solar panels will help […]
The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has welcomed $1 billion in funding to establish the Solar Sunshot program. The Federal Government announced the establishment of the program, designed to help unlock domestic solar photovoltaic (PV) manufacturing across the entire supply chain and grow solar PV manufacturing in Australia, which outlines a pathway to the commercialisation of local solar PV innovation. […]
Sydney Zoo has reached a milestone in its partnership with EnergyAustralia, designed to help the zoo transition to renewable energy. Installation is complete on 602 solar panels across eight buildings at the 41 acre zoo, estimated to negate more than 200t of CO₂ associated with the zoo’s electricity consumption in the first year alone while meeting the complex energy needs […]
The Dugald River Solar Farm (DRSF) is now open in the Mount Isa region, with APA Group’s 88MW project officially becoming the largest remote grid solar farm in Australia. The farm is supporting MMG, Mount Isa Mines and New Century with solar energy firmed by gas from APA’s nearby Diamantina Power Station. The solar farm also supports APA’s goal to […]
AGL has announced a joint venture with Someva Renewables to develop the Pottinger Energy Park, to be located within the New South Wales gazetted South West Renewable Energy Zone (REZ). The Pottinger Energy Park is expected to consist of a 1.2GW wind farm, 300MW solar farm and 500MW/2000MWh battery energy storage system. The proposed park location is 60km south of […]
Final testing is underway on the Wurrumiyanga Solar Infill and Energy Storage Pilot Project, which is set to provide a 1.1MW solar array and a 3MWh energy storage system to the region. Once testing of the battery system is complete at Berrimah, it will be transported to Wurrumiyanga where another round of testing will take place to ensure successful integration […]
Horizon Power has announced that its Smart Connect Solar technology is now available in Carnarvon, as part of its plan to expand solar access throughout regional Western Australia. The utility is planning to roll out the technology to all of its service areas in 2024. The technology uses a distributed energy resource management system that enables the coordination of high […]
Key bottlenecks preventing renewable energy projects from being completed in Western Australia have been identified in a new report prepared for the Australian Energy Council. Roadblocks including a lack of new electricity transmission planning and investment, along with lengthy, costly and opaque grid connection processes, risk derailing Western Australia’s plans to decarbonise and bring new renewables and dispatchable plants onto […]
With the State Government’s Home and Businesses Battery Scheme (HBBS) making the purchase and installation of batteries more accessible, the Northern Territory has the highest rate of up-take of solar battery storage in Australia. The HBBS has reached a major milestone with more than 2,000 territory homes and businesses with a rooftop solar system now having battery storage installed under […]
Australia’s solar energy market stands at the forefront of renewable innovation, experiencing unprecedented growth and transforming the nation’s energy landscape. To maximise this power on a national scale, comprehensive transmission strategies and grid integration technologies are essential. Fueled by abundant sunlight and a commitment to sustainability, Australia has emerged as a global leader in harnessing solar power. Unlike conventional power […]
A roadmap released by the Australian Photovoltaic Institute (APVI) has outlined a pathway for Australia to develop a domestic solar PV industry and how it could overcome potential challenges across the supply chain. The report, titled Silicon 2 Solar, was supported by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) and developed by the APVI in collaboration with Deloitte and a group […]
Boundary Power’s Hydrogen Integrated Stand-Alone Power System (HiSAPS) demonstration unit is Australia’s first relocatable hydrogen SAPS. We take a look at this ambitious project, and how Boundary Power’s adaptability allowed it to work with multiple collaborators to deliver it. The first HiSAPS demonstration unit was unveiled in October 2023, at the Ampcontrol manufacturing site in Ringwood, Victoria. Today, it is […]
As its first investment since being recreated, the State Electricity Commission (SEC) is set to provide $245 million in funding to the Melbourne Renewable Energy Hub near Melton – which is expected to store enough energy to power up to 200,00 homes during peak periods. This is the first investment from the SEC’s initial $1 billion towards building 4.5GW of […]
A new centralised solar farm and Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) is now in operation at Cue in Western Australia. Cue is the fourth regional Western Australian town to receive a centralised solar farm as part of Horizon Power’s Major Project’s Midwest Solar Program, following the successful completion of projects in Wiluna, Yalgoo and Sandstone. Horizon Power is installing centralised […]
The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has awarded $11 million in funding to SunDrive Solar for the expansion of its novel solar cell metallisation technology from prototype scale to commercial capacity. SunDrive has developed a cell metallisation technology that uses copper, a metal that is approximately 100 times cheaper and 1000 times more abundant than commonly used silver. Currently, silver […]
As Australia’s energy grid transitions towards renewables, water utilities also have a large role to play in reaching net zero emissions targets. North East Water is powering ahead and investing in a renewable energy source for its wastewater treatment plant. A new 3MW solar farm is now powering the Wodonga Wastewater Treatment Plant with renewable energy. In a major step […]
Community batteries are flexible and scalable energy solutions that benefit both the local communities they are built in and the wider energy system. Ausgrid is collaborating with the Federal Government to deliver a major community battery rollout, which will see as many as 400 batteries powering neighbourhoods across Australia. The Community Batteries for Household Solar Program will support power quality […]
By Ben Barnes, General Manager Corporate Affairs, Australian Energy Council As the cost of living increases, energy bills are placing more and more financial pressure on consumers. In this article the Australian Energy Council (AEC) takes a look at the government reforms currently underway, and how they might impact retailers’ already supporting customers experiencing payment difficulty. A lot has been […]
RayGen, in partnership with AGL, has opened its solar-plus-storage plant in Carwarp, Victoria, which is expected to add 4MW of solar and 2.8MW/50MWh of storage capacity to the West Murray grid. The plant is powered by a field of smart, rotational mirrors whose concentrated solar energy is combined with the energy stored across two water reservoirs to create a ‘hot […]
The Treasurer of Australia has released the Intergenerational Report 2023, which predicts a long-term increase in utility expenditure, particularly in the energy sector. The report analyses global effects on the Australian economy and predicts future expenditure all the way up to 2063. The report states that renewable energy is already the cheapest form of new energy in Australia, with onshore […]
Jacana Energy has announced that it is accepting submissions from proponents interested in taking part in the development of up to 100MW of large-scale solar for the Darwin-Katherine region. The expression of interest (EOI) is available on the Northern Territory Government tenders online website. Submissions for the non-binding EOI process will close on 26 September 2023. Jacana Energy held an […]
APA Group and Alinta Power have entered into a Share Sale Agreement for the acquisition of Alinta Energy Pilbara and Alinta Energy (Newman Storage), for an enterprise value of $1.7 billion. Alinta Energy Pilbara is an energy infrastructure business underpinned by contracted operational assets (gas and solar power generation, gas transmission, battery energy storage systems and electricity transmission), together with […]
Origin Energy and Coles are set to partner to deliver 20MW of solar panels across up to 100 Coles liquor stores and supermarkets across the country, in effort to help Coles reach its renewable energy targets. Over the next three years, Coles aims to install solar panels on top of 100 stores across the country, with batteries to be installed […]
Regional energy supplier for Western Australia, Horizon Energy, has purchased a vanadium redox flow battery for an energy storage pilot situated in Kununurra. Horizon Power is the first Australian regional energy utility to purchase a vanadium redox flow battery and has signed an agreement with VSUN Energy, a subsidiary of Australian Vanadium Limited, for the purchase, installation and commissioning of […]
Pre-construction activities have commenced for the Rangebank Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), in Cranbourne which will have enough storage capacity to power 80,000 homes for an hour during peak time when operational. Jointly developed by Eku Energy and Shell Energy with minority equity partner, Perfection Private, the Rangebank BESS system in Cranbourne will provide 200MW/400MWh capacity of reliable and flexible […]
Sandra Jefford and Wilco Droppert own and operate Wilandra Farms, an organic dairy farm in the Gippsland region of Victoria. However, despite the farm’s success, its irrigation and dairy operations were using about 500,000kWh of energy per year. Energy costs were high and irrigating the farm was a costly and time-consuming process. In 2019, the couple sought an energy audit […]
Leading provider of security, safety and environmental monitoring, AI solutions and platforms, Spectur has launched its latest product, the STA-Power, a modular solar-battery and communications system that provides power for technology anywhere the sun shines. The STA-Power is the first member of a new generation of power platforms for Spectur and third-party technology products. This platform will support existing and […]
By Steph Barker, Journalist, Utility Magazine The Alice Springs Future Grid Project is a whole-of-systems project that aims to roadmap how Alice Springs can achieve 50 per cent renewable energy by 2030. The $12.5 million project involves collaboration by multiple organisations from across the Northern Territory and Australia, and its purpose is to identify and overcome barriers to further renewable […]
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