China and India to drive record world coal demand next year
Advances in solar power and other clean energy technologies have failed to keep up with demand for electricity as economies rebound from the Covid crisis and China and India’s fossil fuel appetite will ensure the world stays well short of what is needed for a net zero 2050 for at least the next three years.
Hitachi wins tender for big battery in Australia, set to pay for itself within five years
Hitachi Energy has won Northern Territory Labor’s tender for the Darwin-Katherine ‘Big Battery’, which is expected to unlock more capacity for residential and industrial PV, generate cost savings of $9.8 million and pay for itself in approximately five years.
Greenspot plans 500 MW/1,000 MWh battery at former coal-fired power plant in Australia
New South Wales-based development company Greenspot has lodged a planning application for a massive 500 MW/1,000 MWh battery energy storage system to be built at the site of the shuttered coal-fired Wallerawang Power Station near Lithgow in the Central Tablelands.
Alinta switches on Australia’s largest remote solar farm
In an Australian first, up to 100% of daytime operations at two major iron ore mines have been powered entirely by renewable energy, as utility Alinta Energy has switched on the 60 MW Chichester Hub Solar Farm in Western Australia’s Pilbara region.
The upside of TOPCon: high efficiency, low degradation in mass production
Australia’s renowned appetite for new technology, alongside its aggressive utility-scale segment, makes the country a particularly interesting one for manufacturers looking to prove their technological developments at scale. So, what promise does n-type TOPCon hold? And why is it particularly useful in Australia’s hot and increasingly humid climate? In this pv magazine Webinar we’ll be having a closer look at n-type PV cell technology, its benefits as well as challenges.
Solar to bloom in Australian desert thanks to new green hydrogen project
A new green hydrogen project that uses solar-powered “water-from-air” technology has secured “Major Project Status” from the government in Australia’s Northern Territory. The project is set to begin commercial production by 2023.
New tank design, autonomous robot for concentrated solar power plants
Two different technological developments were announced this week for concentrated solar power technology. In Australia, a consortium led by Vast Solar filed a patent for a new tank design for thermal energy storage systems. And in the United States, Heliogen announced the rollout of robots to install and clean projects.
RTE Energy plans PV module factory for Australia
Australia’s solar PV panel manufacturing capacity is set to get a major boost, as Melbourne-based RTE Energy has confirmed that it plans to set up a large-scale heterojunction module factory in the state of Queensland.
Australia switches on new storage battery
Neoen has started operating a 300 MW/450 MWh big battery in Geelong, Australia. In spite of a fire during commissioning in July, the battery has been delivered in record time, taking less than a year to build and begin operations.
Australian solar module manufacturer commits to recycling strategy
Reclaim PV has added another partner to its national solar panel recycling and recovery program with South Australian-based manufacturer Tindo Solar committing to a program that will see close to 100% of the solar PV panels that it handles recycled and re-used in the industry.
