Oceania

The town of Walpole on Western Australia’s southernmost tip will soon be powered by a pumped-hydro microgrid, a first for the state which is already renowned for its rollout of microgrids and distributed renewable solutions.

Commercially printed solar cell technology developed by the University of Newcastle is being put to the test to power an electric vehicle’s 15,097-kilometre journey around the entire coastline of Australia.

While a Japanese team developed a series of Er(Ho)Co2-based magnetic cooling alloys for hydrogen cooling, a US research team used a “simple” acid treatment to increase flow of hydrogen atoms within protonic ceramic electrochemical cells (PCECs). Hydrogen-fuelled mobility registered significant developments: the first hydrogen-electric passenger aircraft was piloted between two major airports in Germany, and a 75-passenger ferry service in the San Francisco Bay braces for operations in June.

The results from solar glass company ClearVue’s greenhouse trials at Murdoch University have found the company’s product performed better than predicted overall, demonstrating both strong power generation and thermal value.

Natural hydrogen is piquing interest. Sometimes referred to as “gold” or “white” hydrogen, natural hydrogen plants offer smaller carbon footprints than sprawling green hydrogen projects, with faster development times, according to Avon McIntyre, executive director of HyTerra.

French renewable energy developer Neoen has signed a seven-year agreement with Australian utility AGL to provide 70 MW/140 MWh of virtual battery capacity in New South Wales.

A major Western Australian mine targeting the global vanadium battery market was this week found to be bankable, with feasibility studies confirming the project’s “strong commercial case for development,” its owner Australian Vanadium Limited said.

Water-from-air technology company Aqua Aerem’s Desert Bloom green hydrogen project received Major Project Status from the Northern Territory government last year. It has now announced a partnership with Japanese energy giant Osaka Gas that not only brings the 10 GW project closer to reality, but has also seen the company boost its ambitions to 20 GW in light of “quickly developing demand.”

Sydney-based CST Composites aims to establish Australia’s first hydrogen vessel manufacturing facility. It wants to secure its position in the rapidly growing industry through a joint venture with a US-based hydrogen storage tank manufacturer.

Fortescue Future Industries has purchased three cattle stations in Western Australia on which it plans to build a renewable energy hub to decarbonize its mining business and export green hydrogen and green ammonia.