Oceania

A new automated platform allows commercial and industrial rooftop solar developers to receive medium-voltage connection assessments from network operators in 15 minutes.

Kardinia Energy has secured AUD 2.15 million from the Australian government’s Industry Growth Program to scale up its flexible, low-cost printed solar technology from university proof-of-concept to pilot manufacturing.

An alliance of 11 industry, environmental and union groups has urged the Australian federal government to require new data centers throughout the country to secure 100% additional renewable energy and fund workforce training as a condition of approval.

The New South Wales government in southeastern Australia has granted priority status to two large-scale pumped hydro projects, providing long-duration energy storage (LDES) to strengthen grid reliability.

Small-scale behind-the-meter storage is beginning to reshape peak demand in the Australian National Electricity Market (NEM), raising the prospect of a “Bactrian camel curve” in which evening load is split. Within six months of Australia’s Cheaper Home Batteries Program, small-scale storage capacity could supply up to half the peak output of the Eraring coal-fired power station.

New Zealand’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) has selected 32 agricultural businesses for its Solar on Farms program to test solar and battery systems across key sectors.

An Australian research team has developed a five-step, rule-based method that detects and classifies underperformance in PV systems using only AC-side inverter data. Validated across more than 1,000 systems, the approach offers a low-cost, low-intervention solution for improving reliability, fault response, and PV system performance.

UNSW researchers have developed an intrinsic-adjusted single-diode model that explicitly accounts for radiative and Auger recombination, improving I–V curve accuracy and reducing root mean square error by up to a factor of three. The model is claimed to better predict performance near open-circuit voltage and maximum power point.

A record five large-scale renewable energy generation projects totaling 1.2 GW reached financial close across Australia’s National Electricity Market (NEM) in the last quarter, but industry figures say more needs to be done to ensure investment momentum continues.

EnergyAustralia’s 50 MW/245 MWh Stage 1 Hallett battery energy storage system (BESS), co-located with a gas-fired power station, has reached financial close and is moving into the delivery phase.