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 17/10/22 edition):
- SunDrive lands $21 million to scale copper-based solar tech which will help commercialise its revolutionary solar cell technology that replaces silver with copper to improve solar panel efficiency and reduce costs. (PV Magazine)
- EnergyAustralia shakes off coal blues with plan for one of Australia’s biggest batteries at its Mount Piper coal-fired power station in central western New South Wales, with the energy storage capacity to power more than 200,000 homes for up to four hours. (Renew Economy)
- The Kondinin Energy Development project in WA, a wind, solar and battery project snapped up by Shell and Foresight JV. (Renew Economy)
- Solar Insiders Podcast: Is there such a thing as ‘peak solar’? (One Step Off the Grid)
- A forecast of a 35% rise in power prices by the boss of Alinta Energy, Jeff Dimery, has triggered a burst of inquiries about solar panels. (The Guardian)
- Australian miner targets solar panel supply chain with high-grade silica after recent test results taken from the company’s Sparkler site in Western Australia produced consistent high-grade and low-iron silica sands. (Renew Economy)
- Australian renewable energy company Vast Solar wins backing from the US government to develop its concentrated solar thermal power (CSP) technology. (AU Manufacturing)
- Renewable energy investments have increased by nearly $5 billion in the last five years, representing 33.4 per cent of all power generated, according to new data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). (Energy Magazine)
- The Waratah Super Battery in New South Wales will be connected to the grid by Transgrid, following $150 million in upgrades and $30 million for a control system, in order to ensure energy security following the closure of Eraring Power Station. (Energy Magazine)
- A pilot program to “electrify” households on the northern beaches of Wollongong could be a world first and act as a proving ground to save billions in future energy costs while radically reducing household emissions. (ABC News)
- The off-grid solar sector has shown resilience in the face of pandemic-related challenges, with 70 million people gaining access to electricity from early 2020 to the end of 2021. (PV Magazine)
Our shot of the week (from the Meralli archives) is from Meadowbank (Tasmania), a small-scale on-farm pump solution at 65kW. A small build requires a small team. It’s also a great example of how low to the ground the PEG frame structure really is. Plant a crop around it and you would never even know it was there!
