The German energy storage provider has begun shipping batteries made in the former Holden factory in the north of Adelaide to New Zealand. Sonnen batteries will be available exclusively through the manufacturer’s local partner, Taspac Energy.

Echoing a growing appetite for corporate renewable power purchase agreements in Australia, Ascham School has become the first in New South Wales to ink a long-term deal with commercial electricity retailer Flow Power.

Australia’s federal Labor party has pledged to roll out PV generation and batteries at schools across the nation, and to create VPPs supporting up to 365 MW of capacity.

A total of 238,000 advanced meters will be installed by utility Western Power on the state of Western Australia’s South West Interconnected System over the next three years. The move will unlock the benefits of a technology that gives consumers more control over their energy use. In another rollout, Horizon Power has made paying for power easier for 11 Aboriginal communities across the state.

Often touted as the missing link in the energy transition, power-to-gas (P2G) has not yet had its time to shine. While the technology has been around for decades, large-scale projects have been exceptionally rare. Over the last year, however, encouraging signals are emerging as research, pilot projects, and small-scale applications appear to have picked up pace. As debate continues about the tipping point for P2G in terms of conversion efficiency and costs, some market players are optimistic about near-term prospects.

Coming hot on the heels of major reports and a heated public debate about electric vehicles, a poll commissioned by the Climate Council has confirmed Australians believe electric cars are the future. Another poll, by The Australia Institute, has 50% of Australian voters supporting all car sales being electric by 2025.

The Australian supermarket giant is issuing green bonds to fund the development of low-carbon supermarkets and the installation of solar at its stores and distribution centers.

The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and Adelaide-based laser supplier Lastek are developing equipment and procedures to accurately measure the performance of multi-junction solar cells with the help of an LED-based solar simulator.

The California-based energy technology company has released its updated Enphase AC Battery (ACB) with a new battery cell supplier and improved time-of-use (TOU) software for customers in Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

In a recent briefing on Australia’s renewables investment boom, BIS Oxford Economics estimates that solar and wind will attract AUD $20 billion ($14.2 billion) of private investment in fiscal 2018 and fiscal 2019, spread across more than 70 projects. But the consultants warn that investment will slow beyond 2020, pointing to the upcoming Australian federal election as critically important for the future of the country’s renewables pipeline.