Australia

The Queensland government has awarded two key contracts for what it says will be the largest pumped hydro energy project in the world, with the proposed 5 GW/120 GWh Pioneer-Burdekin pumped hydro energy storage system to form a cornerstone of the Australian state’s energy transition.

Former Reserve Bank of Australia Deputy Governor Guy Debelle has warned that the US Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) poses a “material threat” to Australia’s push to become a green hydrogen superpower.

The Melbourne Market Authority has switched on a 2.4 MW solar carpark at its facility in Melbourne, Australia. It is the first phase of a three-stage project that will culminate in a 10 MW rooftop system.

Endua has installed its first 100 kW standalone hydrogen power bank in Brisbane, Australia. The news comes weeks after the company raised AUD 11.8 million ($7.81 million) to scale the technology.

Redflow, an Australian redox-flow battery manufacturer, will build one of the world’s largest zinc-based battery energy storage systems in the United States, after signing a multi-million-dollar deal with the California Energy Commission.

A new generation of flexible, lightweight modules is entering the market. With back contact technology offering its own form of design flexibility and robustness, the new products could crack a hard-to-address market segment.

Australian energy major AGL is pushing ahead with plans to transform its Loy Yang power station site into a clean energy industrial hub in the Australian state of Victoria. It has signed a deal with Solar Recovery Corp. (SRC) to explore the feasibility of establishing a PV panel recycling facility at the site.

ACEN Australia has secured approval from the New South Wales state government for its expanded battery proposal, making it the largest battery in Australia at 1.4 GW/2.8 GWh. The battery will be built near the company’s 720 MW New England Solar project.

Brisbane-based Li-S Energy has developed a 20-layer battery cell utilizing semi-solid state lithium sulfur battery technology. The company claims the new cell displays nearly double the gravimetric energy density and a comparable volumetric energy density to lithium-ion cells.

Queensland-based flow battery company, Redflow, has commissioned a 30 kWh zinc-bromine flow battery for the Brisbane City Council.