The Australian Energy Market Commission has backed a rule change request from the Australian Energy Market Operator to ensure that rooftop solar inverters can properly “ride through” network faults and […]
Battery storage is challenging the very structure of Australia’s energy market
The rigid structure of Australia electricity market – and the strict divide between the regulated networks and the (supposedly) competitive generation and retailing components – is being put to the […]
Western Australia offers royalty deal to lithium producers facing low prices
The Western Australian government has offered mining royalty rebates to three of the state’s active lithium producers, to help counter a slump in global prices for the raw lithium product […]
Australia’s emissions clipped by Covid, but the cuts may be short lived
Covid-19 pandemic has delivered the Morrison government’s largest annual reduction in Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions since taking power in 2013, but but still smaller than the annual reductions achieved by […]
40kW Solar Systems: Pricing, Power Output and Returns
A 40kW (40kVA) Solar Power System is among the most popular system size for businesses in Australia as it fits below the requirement to install a Grid Protection Unit which […]
Australia’s carbon twist: Taxing consumers who refuse to burn fossil fuels
South Australia and Victoria have announced plans to introduce a road user tax on electric vehicles, giving the two state governments the dubious honour of being first in the world […]
Residential Solar PV Price Index – December 2020
Average residential solar system prices have dropped at the level of $0.93 per watt ($/W) this month on the back of several factors, including changes to the composition of the […]
Solar and wind farms face more production cutbacks in NSW and Victoria
The Australian Energy Market Operator has flagged new generation constraints that will affect solar and wind projects in both New South Wales and Victoria Solar, after NSW-based transmission company Transgrid […]
Learnings from Thermography of over 12 GWs of Solar PV Plants
Solar PV plants consist of hundreds of thousands of discrete components exposed to various stresses throughout the asset lifecycle. Many of these stresses can lead to defects that manifest as […]
NSW Government Interest Free Solar Loans: How it works?
Firstly, it is important to point out that the interest free loans are in addition to the federal STC rebate which has been incentivising solar installations since 2011. This is […]
Victoria fast-tracks rooftop solar and battery rollout, part of $800m energy savings package
Victoria’s Labor government has unveiled the biggest household energy efficiency spend of any Australian state in history, with a nearly $800 million policy package that will incentivise smart appliances and […]
AEMC delays decision on controversial tax on rooftop solar exports
The deadline for industry feedback on controversial proposed electricity market rule changes that could impose charges on households for exporting their excess solar power has been delayed by the Australian […]
Commercial Solar Finance – Cash, Loan, PPA or Operating Lease?
It’s a common misconception that a commercial solar system comes with a large upfront cost. For an attractive solar project the loan repayments will be lower than the energy savings, meaning […]
Rural NSW Fire Brigade Gifted The Power of Solar & Battery
At the start of the year a solar and battery system was donated to the Sussex Inlet Rural Fire Brigade from a joint effort of Sure Solar, Fimer and Solarwatt. […]
Wind, solar and storage “price guarantee” key to lower costs for developers and consumers
The New South Wales government has unveiled plans to offer electricity price guarantees to underpin the development of new renewable energy projects under the state’s Electricity Infrastructure Roadmap, that aims […]
NSW targets 12GW of renewables and storage under roadmap that includes auctions
The NSW government has unveiled a $32 billion Electricity Infrastructure Roadmap to drive strong investment in new wind, solar and storage projects to replace the ageing coal fleet in the […]
South Australia names hydrogen hubs to foster “epic” growth in wind and solar
The South Australian Liberal government has launched its hydrogen prospectus, naming the locations for three major new hubs that could expand the state’s wind and solar capacity by up to […]
Faster, smarter, cheaper: Batteries are beating gas peakers at their own game
New data on the performance of the University of Queensland’s 1.1MW/2.2MWh St Lucia Tesla battery storage system during a massive power price spike in the state earlier this month has […]
Super power: Here’s how to get to 100pct wind, solar and storage by 2030
The world can transition to 100% wind, solar and storage electricity grids within the coming decade, a new report from a team led by renowned Stanford University futurist Tony Seba […]
Commercial Solar PV Price Index – November 2020
With heavy activity in Victoria and shifts in solar technology to half cut solar modules, price updates from several companies have resulted in a slight downwards shift in average dollar […]
Solar plus storage better than grid connection for remote households
Stand-alone solar and battery storage systems have been hailed by the Western Australia government as better than grid connection for providing affordable and reliable power to the state’s remote households […]
Residential Solar PV Price Index – November 2020
Average residential solar system prices have remained stable at the level of $1.02 per watt ($/W) this month on the back of several factors, including changes to the composition of […]
Ausgrid, United accelerate network push into community battery storage
Community-scale batteries are set to be installed on the grids of two of Australia’s biggest network operators, Ausgrid and United Energy, after the two company’s outlined plans to invest in […]
Queensland urged to switch public schools, libraries and hospitals to solar
A new report has identified significant untapped opportunities in Queensland to install rooftop solar on government-owned buildings, including schools, libraries and prisons. The research, published by the Australian Conservation Foundation […]
McLanahan Corp installs 60kW Solar Panels
NSW based but global minerals processing solutions provider, McLanahan Corporation has installed a 60kW system on the roof of their manufacturing and service facility in Cameron Park, NSW. One of […]
Rooftop solar and battery storage take centre stage in W.A energy transition
A 20-year blueprint into how the clean energy transition may unfold in Western Australia has forecast a trebling of renewables by 2040, and a grid were rooftop solar will continue […]
Solar power is now “cheapest electricity in history”, says IEA
The International Energy Agency has declared solar power to be “the cheapest electricity in history,” in the newly released 2020 version of its annual World Energy Outlook. The WEO2020 – […]
Flexible exports: It looks like the future of rooftop solar for households
A new trial funded by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency will investigate how smart controls and communications can allow network companies to dynamically control rooftop solar exports, subject to local […]
Wind and solar supply more than 50 pct of Australia’s main grid for first time
Strong winds and fine solar conditions helped renewable energy to provide more than 50 per cent of demand on Australia’s main grid in the first week of October for the […]
Black coal generation hits new low, as wind and solar reshape Australian grid
The contribution of black coal power generation to the national grid hit a new low last weekend, pushed down by the growing contribution of wind and solar to little more […]
If Australia wants more jobs, it needs to choose renewables over gas
A new international report has stressed the importance of “comprehensive policy frameworks” to drive the transition to renewable energy and the millions of jobs that will flow from that transition. […]
