To save you some time, we’ve searched the internet for the latest news in solar farm projects and other renewables. Grab your coffee, here’s the industry must-knows for the week (12/12//22 edition):
- A report released by CSIRO on Friday presents a three-horizon plan for Australia to create its own supply chain for silicon and solar cells, from mining to manufacture to end-of-life processes. (AU Manufacturing)
- In a recent announcement by Federal Energy Minister, Chris Bowen, ARENA will fund an extension of the Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics (ACAP). Final negotiations are in process on the research program and partnerships, with work expected to start in 2023. (Energy Magazine)
- Researchers from the University of Sydney say they have developed a new type of sodium-sulphur battery which they boast offers “super-high capacity and ultra-long life”, and which will be much cheaper than traditional batteries. (Renew Economy)
- Applications for loans to finance electric vehicles and rooftop solar systems are coming in thick and fast, according to big-four bank NAB, as Australian businesses race to cut costs and emissions. (Renew Economy)
- Australia’s energy ministers have unanimously agreed to establish a capacity investment mechanism that they anticipate will unleash at least $10 billion (USD 6.7 billion) worth of investment and at least 6 GW of renewable energy generation and storage to stabilise the grid as the nation’s ageing coal-fired power plants exit the energy market. (PV Magazine)
- Wind, solar and even rooftop PV beat coal and gas in world’s biggest isolated grid (Renew Economy)
- Production of net-zero glass and solar panels using renewable hydrogen may soon become a reality in Western Australia (WA). The news comes as Xodus looks to gain funds for a 1GW electrolyser project. (Energy Matters)
- Australia’s rooftop solar market is closing out a true ‘solar coaster’ of a year with a “massive upswing” in installation numbers, new data has shown, as consumers continue to pile in and as industry works its way through a backlog of orders. (One Step Off The Grid)
- It seems that we’re getting closer to harnessing solar energy from space. Space-Based Solar Power (SBSP) collects and harvests solar energy via solar-powered satellites. From there, the solar energy is converted into microwaves and then sent to high-frequency radio waves to a certain point on earth during the day. (Energy Matters)
- Many countries bet on solar panels when engaging in the switch to cleaner energy. But the technology requires much larger areas than conventional fossil fuel plants to generate the same amount of electricity. An emerging solution to save space is to float the panels on bodies of water: floatovoltaics. Scientists believe this new approach could help solar energy to scale globally and fight climate change, but its environmental impacts are largely unexplored. (EOS Magazine)
- For climate campaigners, French parking lots are now very exciting places. In November, France’s senate approved a law which would require the owners of almost all large parking lots to install solar panels. (Time Magazine)
- Energy Insiders Podcast: Andrew Forrest’s big Australian power play (Energy Insiders Podcast)
Our shot of the week (from the Meralli archives) is from the 11MW Dunblane project in Barcaldine, Queensland is the largest, privately funded, unsubsidised solar farm of its type currently in the world and was built in just 10 weeks and 4 days; achieved without any taxpayer subsidies and using an Australian workforce.
