Australian startup SunDrive fabricates its first full-sized panel
Sydney-based startup SunDrive has given itself an early Christmas present in the form of the fabrication of its first full-sized panel. This panel marks the most recent milestone on the road to commercialization for SunDrive, which set a new world record for commercial-sized silicon solar cell efficiency in September.
Australian graphene discovery could unlock cheaper, more efficient li-ion batteries
Researchers at the University of Wollongong in Australia have discovered a new form of graphene that will improve anode and cathode materials in lithium-ion batteries, making them cheaper and more efficient. They are collaborating with Sicona, which has agreed to buy the researchers’ intellectual property.
Australia prepares for first solar ‘upcycling’ facility while recycling operations expand
As Australia stares down a deluge of worn out solar panels, recycling – and indeed upcycling – programs are grinding into gear. In Victoria, a site has been found for Australia’s first facility to recover and reuse solar module materials, while Reclaim PV has extended its manufacturer partner and pickup location lists.
Australian flow battery company completes ‘milestone’ installation
Brisbane-based flow battery company Redflow has completed its single biggest installation to date, a 2 MWh storage system in California for biowaste technology firm Anaergia.
China and India to drive record world coal demand next year
Advances in solar power and other clean energy technologies have failed to keep up with demand for electricity as economies rebound from the Covid crisis and China and India’s fossil fuel appetite will ensure the world stays well short of what is needed for a net zero 2050 for at least the next three years.
Hitachi wins tender for big battery in Australia, set to pay for itself within five years
Hitachi Energy has won Northern Territory Labor’s tender for the Darwin-Katherine ‘Big Battery’, which is expected to unlock more capacity for residential and industrial PV, generate cost savings of $9.8 million and pay for itself in approximately five years.
Greenspot plans 500 MW/1,000 MWh battery at former coal-fired power plant in Australia
New South Wales-based development company Greenspot has lodged a planning application for a massive 500 MW/1,000 MWh battery energy storage system to be built at the site of the shuttered coal-fired Wallerawang Power Station near Lithgow in the Central Tablelands.
Alinta switches on Australia’s largest remote solar farm
In an Australian first, up to 100% of daytime operations at two major iron ore mines have been powered entirely by renewable energy, as utility Alinta Energy has switched on the 60 MW Chichester Hub Solar Farm in Western Australia’s Pilbara region.
The upside of TOPCon: high efficiency, low degradation in mass production
Australia’s renowned appetite for new technology, alongside its aggressive utility-scale segment, makes the country a particularly interesting one for manufacturers looking to prove their technological developments at scale. So, what promise does n-type TOPCon hold? And why is it particularly useful in Australia’s hot and increasingly humid climate? In this pv magazine Webinar we’ll be having a closer look at n-type PV cell technology, its benefits as well as challenges.
Solar to bloom in Australian desert thanks to new green hydrogen project
A new green hydrogen project that uses solar-powered “water-from-air” technology has secured “Major Project Status” from the government in Australia’s Northern Territory. The project is set to begin commercial production by 2023.
