Australia

For those who combine solar, batteries, and electric vehicles (EVs) at home, driving on sunshine is a realistic goal. However, there are many factors to consider when analyzing the economic payoffs, as well as the technical possibilities and limitations of such systems.

Octopus Investments Australia, a subsidiary of UK-based Octopus Group, has purchased the largest battery installation in the Australian state of Queensland – the 500 MW/1 GWh Blackstone project – just outside of Brisbane.

With utility scale solar installations accelerating, Philip Wolfe, founder of PV data consultancy Wiki-Solar, drills into the data to highlight some interesting variations in relative progress around the world.

Japan’s largest oil refiner, Eneos, and Tokyo-based trading firm Sojitz have jointly opened the 204 MW Edenvale Solar Park in Queensland, Australia.

Tongwei Solar’s entry into the Australian solar market has triggered disruption in recent months, amplified by the ongoing global decline in panel prices, which solar analyst Warwick Johnston says has yet to fully affect the country.

EnergyAustralia’s plans to install a 500 MW/2,000 MWh big battery storage system in the Australian state of New South Wales are gaining momentum, as the Hong Kong-owned generator has secured approval to conduct site investigation works.

Hydrostor has signed a deal with miner Perilya to build a 200 MW/1,600 MWh advanced compressed air energy storage facility in a disused mine cavity in New South Wales, Australia.

A fire broke out this week in a Tesla Megapack 2.0 battery unit at the Bouldercombe battery facility in Queensland, Australia.

Scientists in Australia have proposed to use a a propeller pico-hydropower turbine to recover the energy used for pumping water in a solar-powered commercial building. They have found that the mini hydro system is a relatively low-cost solution, able to recover approximately 10% of the energy used for pumping seawater.

New statistics from Australia’s Clean Energy Regulator show that 2023 could be another record year for distributed solar.