Oceania

Solar met 7.6% of the state’s demand this year, as South Australia surpasses its renewable energy target eight years early.

The Australian telco has signed a long-term contract to take all the output from a 70 MW solar farm near Emerald in a bid to rein in its energy costs, while the Queensland government has welcomed the company’s solar commitment set to create 200 jobs.

With the $20 million financial backing of the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC), local lender RateSetter has launched Australia’s first peer-to-peer green bond lending platform connecting investors and borrowers with an eye on environmental sustainability.

In order to help reduce the future cost of solar PV, ARENA is set to launch its third competitive funding round for solar R&D.

Researchers at Australia National University have developed a nanostructure technique to finely control the direction of light. The technique, says ANU, could be applied to tandem perovskite/silicon solar cells.

Queensland’s largest industrial solar project at the Sun Metals zinc refinery has broken ground. The new 125 MW renewable energy power station is to be delivered in early 2018.

The horizontal single-axis trackers from NCLAVE will be installed at the Clare Solar Farm in Australia.

The Chinese PV behemoth’s panels will be installed at the 15 MW Sunshine Coast Solar Farm in Australia.

Just days after Tesla announced it was taking orders – and down-payments – for its much-hyped and quite good looking solar roof, an Australian made printed solar innovation that could rival Elon Musk’s power generating tiles has moved one major step closer to commercialisation.

Sydney-based energy infrastructure specialist APA Group has selected RCR Tomlinson as the EPC contractor for a 110 MW solar project in the town of Dalby, Queensland. The contract is valued at roughly A$175 million ($129.3 million).