Victorian government’s ambitious 95% renewables target by 2035, retail giant Amazon unwraps 1.4 MW rooftop solar system + polysilicon production capacity to exceed PV installations next year

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 24/10/22 edition):

• The Victorian government has announced an ambitious target to reach 95% renewables by 2035, to end the state’s reliance on coal generation, and to establish a publicly owned corporation that will see the state hold a controlling stake in new renewable energy projects. (PV Magazine)
• $7.5 million for backup power systems and $9.8 million for rural microgrids are part of the Victorian Government’s new plans for increasing energy network resilience and future-proofing infrastructure against weather systems. (Energy Magazine)
• Australia’s biggest coal generator and polluter AGL Energy is to study the potential use of renewable-powered “thermal battery” options as a way to retrofit some of its aging fossil fuel assets that are about to be retired. (Renew Economy)
• Online retail giant Amazon has taken the wraps off a 1.4 MW rooftop solar system that will help power operations at its new 15,600 square metre sort centre being developed in Melbourne’s north. (PV Magazine)
• The hugely popular Fully Charged Live “festival of electrification” is to make its debut in Australia early next year, with a Sydney show scheduled for March and supported by The Driven and RenewEconomy. (Renew Economy)
• Former Tindo Solar CEO, Shayne Jaenisch, outlines how Australia’s renewables industry can avoid forced labour, cut waste, secure its supply chains and create a domestic manufacturing industry. (PV Magazine)
• In northern Australia, a new hardware-in-the-loop platform is being developed to test renewable projects aggregated generation control systems before commissioning. (PV Magazine)
• With electric vehicle (EV) sales now equating to two percent of new cars sold and many car manufacturers phasing out fuel combustion engine development and manufacturing, Australian networks are considering how the electricity grid needs to be prepared for the increasing EV uptake (Energy Magazine)
• Scientists in China have designed a new methodology to simulate the near-surface climate of utility-scale PV plants. Their findings suggest that the new tool could be used to design more climate-friendly solar parks. (PV Magazine)
• Clean Energy Associates said in a new report that it expects polysilicon production capacity to exceed PV installations next year. (PV Magazine)
• Energy minister Lily D’Ambrosio on Victoria’s ambitious switch to renewables and coal exit. Plus: Labor’s Rewiring the Nation and a multitude of new wind and storage projects. (Energy Insiders Podcast)