Renewable Energy

Scientists at the Australian National University (ANU) have made new breakthroughs that could help further revolutionise solar technology and make it more efficient and more accessible. The researchers have been concentrating on the solar cell’s skin layer, which is 1,000 times thinner than a human hair, and is used to conduct electricity and protect the … Continue reading ANU research at the forefront of solar technology →

The $175 million Susan River Solar Farm on Queensland’s Fraser Coast officially opened this week, adding a further 95MW of solar power to the state’s energy supply. Queensland’s assistant minister for treasury Glenn Butcher represented the state government at an on-site ceremony near Maryborough today, after the North Queensland floods saw the premier and all … Continue reading New solar farm powers up in Queensland →

The University of NSW Sydney has signed a $3 million deal with renewables asset manager Providence Asset Group (PAG) as part of a 10-year commitment to joint research and collaboration in sustainable energy technologies. PAG has made an initial investment of $500,000 to support renewables technology research at UNSW through the UNSW Digital Grid Futures Institute … Continue reading UNSW to collaborate on renewable energy research →

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) will provide $500,000 in funding to Climate-KIC Australia to lead a three-year longitudinal study into the benefits of geothermal energy in the residential sector and greenfield estates. The $1.7 million project will study a commercial-scale demonstration of renewable ground-source heat pumps being deployed in the Fairwater master-planned residential community … Continue reading Geothermal energy being trialled in Western Sydney →

Business energy retailer Flow Power has entered into a ten-year offtake agreement with renewable energy developer BayWa r.e. to purchase 48 megawatts (MW) from two of northern Victoria’s largest solar farms. The 112MW Karadoc solar farm and 106MW Yatpool solar farm, which are owned and developed by BayWa r.e, will provide 20MW and 28MW respectively … Continue reading Flow Power enters agreement with owner of northern Victoria’s largest solar farms →

A new grid-scale battery is now up and running at the Dalrymple substation on South Australia’s Yorke Peninsula. Construction of the 30 MW / 8 MWh grid-scale battery was completed in April 2018. The $30 million Energy Storage for Commercial Renewable Integration (ESCRI) project has been commissioned and tested and is now live and connected … Continue reading New grid-scale battery powering South Australia →

Wine producer, Australian Vintage, will become the first in Australia to enter a large-scale hybrid renewable corporate power purchase agreement (PPA), through wholesale energy retailer Flow Power. The PPA mixes wind and solar generation to leverage the best of both generation profiles to match Australian Vintage’s energy consumption. It will provide renewable generation to the … Continue reading Australian Vintage signs hybrid renewable PPA with Flow Power →

University of Sydney undergraduate student Brian O’Callaghan will take his research in renewable energy to the next level when he heads to Oxford as the 2019 NSW Rhodes Scholar. O’Callaghan, who is studying a Bachelor of Engineering Honours and a Bachelor of Commerce,  has spent the year studying in Singapore, working on renewable energies in … Continue reading Student researching renewable energy wins Rhodes scholarship →

The Victorian government will fund a $3-million grant program to help grow the new energy technology sector in the Latrobe Valley. Minister for energy Lily D’ambrosia said it was about ensuring businesses in the Latrobe Valley had access to cheap, clean, and reliable energy. She announced the Latrobe Valley microgrid grant program on the 21st of August. … Continue reading New microgrid program for Latrobe Valley boosts renewable energy development →

Rooftop solar is continuing to boom in Australia with the 2018 installation rate soaring above 2017’s record rate. Thanks to improved technology and larger rooftop installs, the total kilowatt capacity of rooftop solar is 56% above last year’s, and the number of systems installed has increased 32 per cent on the same period last year. … Continue reading Solar citizens lead the energy revolution →

Australian battery company Redflow has achieved a second manufacturing milestone by successfully producing the first battery electrode stacks from its new factory in Thailand. The battery stack is a critical part of the Redflow ZBM2 zinc-bromine flow battery, containing electrodes that charge and discharge the battery by “plating” and “deplating” zinc on a membrane – … Continue reading Redflow starts manufacturing battery stacks at new plant →

South Australia’s lithium-ion battery grabbed the headlines in 2017, first when Elon Musk announced he’d build the world’s largest battery in 100 days or it would be free, then again when he accomplished it, and yet again when the battery reacted to power surges in record time in December. But the big battery is really … Continue reading The year renewables became mainstream →

The South Australian company has spent almost a decade developing its Thermal Energy Storage System (TESS) technology to store electricity as thermal energy by heating and melting containers full of silicon at a cost estimated to be up to 10 times cheaper than lithium batteries. 1414 Degrees has moved into a 3000sq m factory on … Continue reading Production heats up for renewable energy storage company →

Turning energy into money is the business many manufacturers are in. They may not look at it in that light – however, turning fuel into product at the best rate of return is essentially what the industry thrives on. Rising gas prices is impacting the future for many of these processing plants – particularly in … Continue reading Turning Australia on to natural power →

Jobs and investment will be the focus of the first Powering North Queensland Summit, to be held in Townsville on 31 August 2017. John Grimes, Australian Solar Council and Energy Storage Council CEO, said a renewable energy boom is underway in North Queensland and locals should attend the Summit to find out how they can … Continue reading Renewable energy boom: Business and Jobs Summit announced →

The announcement that the world’s largest lithium-ion battery will be installed in South Australia by the end of 2017, will transform and fast track reliable renewable energy in Australia, as well as globally, according to a leading energy industry authority Dr Alex Wonhas, Managing Director, Energy, Resources and Manufacturing of global engineering and infrastructure advisory … Continue reading Renewable energy fast tracked after Tesla announcement →

Champions of fossil-fuel generation have long complained that jobs losses have been one of the biggest detriments to the decommissioning of coal-fired power plants. And renewable energy sources do nothing to help replace those jobs. Not so, according to a panel of experts at the recent Australian Energy Storage Conference and Exhibition held at the … Continue reading Renewable jobs market underplayed →

To successfully incorporate solar PV, storage and other innovative technologies into Australia’s energy grids without sacrificing grid stability, a holistic, whole-of-network approach is required, says Mark Paterson, General Manager of Horizon Power’s Consumer Energy division. According to Paterson, Horizon Power’s large, sparsely populated regional WA networks are ‘almost a microcosm of the larger electricity grids’ … Continue reading New approach needed for renewables in the energy stakes →

With the right technology, homeowners and businesses with solar and battery storage systems have the potential to play a vital role in stabilising a grid with high renewable generation, according to Luke Osborne, Chief Operations Officer for Reposit Power. By integrating innovative software with solar battery systems, Reposit Power helps customers who invest in these … Continue reading Solar battery storage system to play vital role in energy market →

Australia is becoming one of the most desirable places to implement renewable energy sources, according to a report by global power and utilities company Ernst & Young (EY). The nation has risen from 10th to fifth in the global Renewable Energy Attractiveness Index, which takes into consideration conditions for renewable power in 40 countries. China … Continue reading Australia climbs world renewable energy rankings →