Oceania

Although initially expected to deliver around 650 MW, Victoria’s first renewable energy auction has smashed the goal, delivering 928 MW of renewable capacity. Six projects will be developed in total, three wind and three solar, under the state’s renewable energy target. In a separate announcement, the Andrews government promised to provide half price solar batteries for 10,000 Victorian households, if re-elected.

The South Australian government will launch its Home Battery Scheme in October, which will offer South Australians subsidies of up to AU$6,000. In the wake of the government’s announcement, the German storage provider has revealed plans to manufacture up to 50,000 battery storage units at the former Holden site in Elizabeth, creating hundreds of jobs.

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has offered funding to nine Australian universities and research organizations to propel innovation in green hydrogen export.

Chinese wind turbine supplier and project developer, Goldwind is looking to offload its Australian wind and large-scale solar development pipeline, according to reporting from the Australian Financial Review. The move would be one of the first international player looking to exit the Australian renewables marketplace in the face of policy chaos on a national level.

If all planned renewable energy projects were to proceed, Queensland, Australia, would be in line for an AU$24 billion injection into the state’s economy and over 35,000 new jobs, shows a new Solar Citizens report.

The new control room located in Bangkok will help the German renewable energy developer to keep tabs on its growing APAC portfolio.

Australia’s new federal Energy Minister has revealed his thinking, although few details, as to the measures the government will take in pursuit of its new “laser like”, focus on electricity price reduction. While denying that he is a climate sceptic, emissions reduction clearly has no place in the proposed policy measures.

Following the signing of an assistance agreement between the Queensland Government and international consortium Imperium 3, an AU$2 billion lithium-ion battery factory is one step closer to reality.

Delays in achieving the full commissioning of Australian PV power plants are beginning to seriously impact project EPCs. Diversified engineering and infrastructure company, RCR Tomlinson has postponed its annual financial results, with speculation mounting that delays to the commissioning of a solar project has caused “a material negative impact” on its earnings.

A report by Technavio suggests the global market for battery materials could grow 9% annually in the next four years. Analysts point to the increasing installation of storage systems with PV as a key driver. pv magazine has covered previous reports predicting significant growth in PV and storage systems.