Enabled by Horizon Power’s Distributed Energy Resource Management System (DERMS), Smart Connect Solar has been completed ahead of schedule, enabling the regional energy provider to achieve its strategic goal of ensuring there are zero customer refusals when connecting rooftop solar by 2025.

Related article: Smart Connect Solar technology expands to Broome

The program has now been expanded to all towns in Horizon Power’s service area. The technology is providing thousands more households and businesses, in Horizon Power’s service area, with the opportunity to install rooftop solar and access the benefits of renewable energy.

Smart Connect Solar has delivered critical technical capabilities enabling Horizon Power to remove solar hosting capacity constraints. Previously, the number of solar installations had to be limited to ensure the security and reliability of power supply.

DERMS technology analyses weather patterns, power system conditions and renewable energy resources and uses this data to coordinate power flows to ensure the electricity network can operate safely and reliably at all times—maximising renewable energy output and benefits for Horizon Power’s customers.

In addition to rooftop solar, DERMS will enable Horizon Power to safely and reliably integrate and balance energy across customer energy resources like batteries and electric vehicles.

Horizon Power CEO Stephanie Unwin said, “Horizon Power established the strategic goal of zero customer refusals when connecting rooftop solar by 2025, to solve the technical challenges preventing customer access to rooftop solar.

Related article: Horizon Power’s Smart Connect Solar expands to NWIS

“Achieving this goal creates more customer choice to participate in renewable energy and ways to reduce energy bills. The advanced DERMS technology underpinning Smart Connect Solar will also improve the safety and stability of our systems as they evolve to incorporate greater levels of clean energy.

“We are proud to have completed the roll-out of Smart Connect Solar ahead of schedule, so that thousands of additional customers can reap the benefits of renewables, including reduced energy bills, earlier than expected.”

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Momentum Energy’s VEN leverages the Enosi Powertracer Platform to facilitate the seamless virtual transfer of the benefits of locally generated solar energy across Port of Brisbane sites.

Related article: Momentum Energy incentivises customers to quit gas

The VEN enables commercial and industrial customers to virtually share the benefits of their excess solar between multiple sites, financially offsetting their energy consumption from the grid. The VEN will soon be available to small business customers as well.

Momentum’s VEN is particularly suited for organisations that produce more solar than they can use at a single location and want to ‘share’ that across locations that can’t host a solar array, that want to reduce power costs with solar, and that prefer to trade their own solar than purchase and transfer Large Scale Generation Certificates (LGCs).

The Port of Brisbane is Momentum’s first Virtual Energy Network customer. When it built its International Cruise Terminal in 2020, it installed an 800kW rooftop solar system that generated more electricity than it could use at the passenger terminal.

Under the VEN, Port of Brisbane can now virtually share the benefits of that locally generated solar across its other PBPL-operated sites at the Port.

Instead of Port of Brisbane receiving a small feed-in tariff, Momentum financially offsets that excess solar production against the energy used at other PBPL-operated sites, which has led to significant energy cost savings and greater utilisation of solar generated.

Momentum Energy managing director Lisa Chiba said that while the Port of Brisbane VEN was about maximising the benefits of an existing solar installation, other businesses might utilise a VEN to invest in larger solar arrays than originally planned.

“With a faster return on investment, Momentum’s VEN might incentivise C&I customers to invest in solar on a much larger scale than they normally would,” she said.

Related article: Adelaide Airport to almost triple rooftop solar system

Participation in the VEN is currently open to eligible commercial and industrial customers who have an energy contract with Momentum. In the Port of Brisbane’s case, they have a Corporate Power Purchase Agreement (CPPA) through which they purchase renewable energy certificates (LGCs) from the Granville Harbour Wind Farm in Tasmania.

Momentum Energy is owned by Hydro Tasmania, Australia’s largest generator of renewable energy.

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Related article: FRV’s first hybrid solar-plus-storage project goes live

The $1.2 billlion refinancing guarantees the financial support for all the plants as well as a solid backing for future growth and development of new projects. The transaction also secures construction funding for the Terang project, the first utility-scale BESS project of FRV Australia, with a capacity of 100MW capacity in Victoria.

The transaction includes all FRV Australia’s operating and under-construction plants, including Lilyvale, Moree, Sebastopol, Goonumbla, Metz, Winton, Walla Walla and Dalby.

FRV Australia CEO Carlo Frigerio said, “We are thrilled to achieve this significant milestone in our journey This refinancing not only secures the future of our current operations but also provides a strong foundation for our continued growth and commitment to developing renewable energy projects across Australia.”

Related article: FRV reaches financial close on Walla Walla Solar Farm

The refinancing process involved eleven financial institutions, including ING Bank, Westpac Banking Corporation, MUFG Bank, Société Générale, Norddeutsche Landesbank, Mizuho Bank, Intesa Sanpaolo, United Overseas Bank, the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, China Construction Bank and Agricultural Bank of China.

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Related article: ARENA spruiks huge potential of ultra low-cost solar

The design and piloting of first and second-generation prototype robots has the potential to reduce piling time and labour costs by approximately 82% and 88% respectively, increasing installation efficiency and safety.

“Australia is a technology hub for renewable energy, and Built Robotics is honoured to be working with ARENA to continue inventing better ways of building solar farms,” Built Robotics general manager and VP of business development Paul Kelly said.

“By helping to automate the most repetitive and difficult tasks on jobsites, Built’s robots aim to lower the cost of energy, accelerate construction and provide safer working conditions for skilled workers.”

ARENA is looking to reduce the installed cost of a solar project to just 30c per watt and reach a levelised cost of electricity below $20/MWh by 2030. This could help unlock a total installed capacity of 1TW of solar PV by 2050.

Related article: How ultra low-cost solar will unlock our superpower vision

The Built Robotics project is an example of the innovative ideas that ARENA expects to support through its $100 million Solar ScaleUp Challenge.

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Enel Green Power Australia CEO Werther Esposito said, “We’re pleased to proactively collaborate with Elecsome in planning for any future instances where PV panel upcycling may be required across our portfolio of solar assets.

Related article: Report: Better solar recycling needed to deal with PV waste

“We’re committed to circular economy principles across our portfolio and recognize Elecsome’s innovative approach and capability as one of Australia’s first solar panel ‘upcycling’ plants.”

ElecSome founder and CEO Neeraj Das said, “We are thrilled to have signed this Framework Agreement for PV panel upcycling with Enel Green Power Australia, which is one of the first companies in Australia to take the initiative of signing a long-term agreement to responsibly recycle end-of-life PV panels. We appreciate their environmentally friendly approach towards net zero and circular economy initiatives.”

Enel Green Power Australia has been proactive in sustainability efforts, particularly in the area of recycling solar PV panels. The company promotes a circular economy approach to PV panel lifecycle management which involves consideration of the design of PV panels for durability, to enable efficient upcycling at the end of life, transforming them to valuable materials.

The #collaboration between Enel Green Power Australia and ElecSome aims to promote the importance of recycling PV panels and boost sustainable energy practices more broadly.

Related article: AGL studies solar recycling, cable manufacturing for Hunter

ElecSome is working with government bodies, councils and other institutions for a reasonable gate fee per solar panel, providing some incentives to encourage companies for upcycling and fostering a circular economy approach.

Approximately 1.4 million solar panels will reach their end-of-life in 2025 across Australia. The estimated waste generated due to non-usable PV panels is projected to be 145,000 tonnes a year by 2030 in Australia.

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The Mt Weld hybrid power station will include a 24MW wind farm, 7MW solar farm, and a 12MW/12MWh Battery Energy Storage System (BESS).

Related article: Zenith completes 16.9MW 5B solar farm at Jundee gold mine

The renewable facility will be supported by a 17MW gas-fired power station with 5MW of standby diesel generation. Upon completion, the total installed capacity of the Mt Weld Power Station will be approximately 65MW.

The term of the PPA is 15 years, commencing from commercial operation of the wind farm, which is scheduled to occur in calendar year 2026. The diesel and gas facilities are scheduled to be completed in the first half of calendar year 2025, with solar and BESS to be installed progressively, and full operation expected in calendar year 2026.

The Mt Weld Power Station has been designed to run “engine-off” during periods of high renewable energy production and achieve an average annual renewable energy percentage of up to approximately 70%.

Zenith CEO and managing director, Hamish Moffat said, “As a leading provider of sustainable energy solutions to the Australian resources market Zenith is pleased to be working with Lynas, the world’s only significant producer of separated rare earth materials outside of China, on the high renewable energy fraction hybrid power solution to their Mt Weld operations.

Related article: Zenith Energy wins Independent Power Producer award

“The signing of the Mt Weld Hybrid power station Power Purchase Agreement represents a significant milestone for Zenith Energy, with our contracted Wind Capacity now exceeding 100MW. Zenith looks forward to enabling Lynas to deliver on their productivity and decarbonisation objectives.”

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In a study published in Nature Chemistry, researchers unravel the scientific understanding of what happens when light particles split—a process called singlet fission—and its underlying workings.

Lead researcher Professor Tim Schmidt from UNSW Sydney’s School of Chemistry has studied singlet fission for more than a decade. He says the process could be invoked and applied to improve existing silicon solar cell technologies.

“Today’s solar cells work by absorbing photons which are then sucked away to the electrodes to do the work,” Prof Schmidt says.

“But as part of this process, a lot of this light is lost as heat. Which is why solar panels don’t run at full efficiency.”

Related article: Research breakthrough could lead to ‘self-healing’ solar cells

Pushing the limits

Almost all photovoltaic solar panels on the market today are made from silicon. Co-author Professor Ned Ekins-Daukes from UNSW’s School of Photovoltaics & Renewable Energy Engineering says although the technology is now cheap, it is also nearing its fundamental limits in terms of performance.

“The efficiency of a solar panel represents the fraction of energy supplied by the sun that can be converted into electricity,” Prof Ekins-Daukes says.

“The highest efficiency was set earlier this year by our industrial collaborator, LONGi. They demonstrated a 27.3% efficient silicon solar cell. The absolute limit is 29.4%,” he says.

Prof Schmidt says scientists are still trying to understand how the molecular process of singlet fission worked. Specifically, how does one become two? He says the process is complex and detailed.

“Our study addresses the route of this process. And we used magnetic fields for the interrogation. The magnetic fields manipulate the wavelengths of emitted light to reveal the way that singlet fission occurs. And that hasn’t been done before.”

Working smarter, not harder

Different colours of light have photons with different energies. Prof Schmidt says it doesn’t matter what the incoming energy of the light is—it will always supply the same energy to the cell, and any excess energy gets turned into heat.

“So, if you absorb a red photon then there’s a bit of heat,” he explains.

“With blue photons, there’s lots of heat. There is a limit on efficiency for solar cells.”

He says a paradigm shift is needed to allow silicon cells to achieve a greater potential.

“Introducing singlet fission into a silicon solar panel will increase its efficiency,” Prof Ekins-Daukes says.

“This enables a molecular layer to supply additional current to the panel.”

The process breaks the photon into two smaller energy chunks. These can then be used individually. This ensures more of the higher energy part of the spectrum is being used—not lost as heat.

Related article: CSIRO achieves record efficiency for printed solar cells

Investing in the future

Last year, the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) selected UNSW’s singlet fission project for their Ultra Low Cost Solar program. The program aims to develop technologies capable of achieving greater than 30 per cent efficiency at a cost below 30 cents per watt by 2030.

The team used a single wavelength laser to excite the singlet fission material. Then they used an electromagnet to apply magnetic fields—which reduced the speed of the singlet fission process, making it easier to observe.

“From this firm scientific understanding of singlet fission, we can now make a prototype of an improved silicon solar cell and then work with our industrial partners to commercialise the technology,” Prof Ekins-Daukes says.

“We’re confident we can get silicon solar cells to an efficiency above 30%,” Prof Schmidt says.

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Through the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC), the investment will create hundreds of new jobs and see the power grid upgraded and expanded across the Territory, supporting major transmission projects and bolstering grid strength.

Related article: Boosting batteries and renewables in the Northern Territory

The Rewiring the Nation investment will also accelerate the rollout of transmission projects across the Territory with the first wave of these to be completed before 2030.

The deal includes an agreement to deploy community-scale solar, rooftop solar and clean energy technologies throughout the Territory. This will provide up to $500 in energy cost savings per year for consumers locked out of installing their own rooftop solar, like hardship customers, renters and apartment dwellers.

Projects financed under this agreement will contribute to the energy mix across the Territory by increasing amounts of renewable generation such as solar and wind and reducing reliance on power generation from fossil fuels.

In addition to priority projects supporting the Darwin-Katherine Interconnected System (DKIS), there is potential for projects in Alice Springs and Tennant Creek to also receive support as part of the decarbonisation of the NT’s energy system.

Northern Territory Minister for Energy and Renewables Kate Worden said, “Investing in battery technology ensures Territorians will have reliable power supply as we move to integrate more renewable energy into our electricity grid.

Related article: Rio Tinto to build two solar farms in the Northern Territory

“We can make these investments because the Territory Government owns our assets like Power and Water, Territory Generation and Jacana.

“Because we own our assets, we can keep the cost of power low. We also subside the power bill of every Territory household by $1,500 a year through the Community Service Obligation.”

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Related article: Solar set to leave nuclear and everything else in the shade

SunSolve Yield was created in 2019 in partnership with Cypress Creek Renewables in a research project funded by the United States Department of Energy. It has been used to more accurately predict the performance of solar trackers, as demonstrated in studies led by Array Technologies, CFV Labs, Cypress Creek, PVEL and FTC Solar.

SunSolve Yield provides a digital twin of the structures and photovoltaic (PV) modules used in utility-scale solar projects. Developers rely on SunSolve Yield to rapidly answer design questions that would previously have taken months to investigate and days to compute.

The high level of detail in the SunSolve Yield model means that developers can have greater confidence in their yield forecasts for both internal and project financing purposes.

PV Lighthouse and SunSolve founder and CEO Keith McIntosh said, “Before SunSolve existed, developers did not have a modelling solution that could accurately represent their structures and modules.

“This meant they had to guesstimate several of the loss factors required for their yield forecasts. Now developers can rapidly calculate these factors with SunSolve, giving them greater confidence in their forecasts—a key advantage when negotiating project financing.”

“ARENA’s investment in SunSolve Yield is an endorsement of the innovation and value that SunSolve delivers to the global solar industry. With the ARENA funding and support from our industry partners, we’ll continue to increase the accuracy of those forecasts which ultimately reduces the cost of financing a solar project.”

Related article: Research breakthrough could lead to ‘self-healing’ solar cells

The funding from ARENA will allow PV Lighthouse to accelerate the development of SunSolve Yield through the hiring of additional researchers and programmers.

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Related article: Brisbane Airport to be powered with 100% renewable energy

All of Adelaide Airport’s electricity already comes from renewable sources generated by a combination of onsite solar and Iberdrola Australia’s Lake Bonney wind farms in South Australia.

The new 2.3MWp PV solar system will generate approximately 3,282MWh of energy annually. This will bring the total solar capacity at the airport to 3.5MWp—enough to power 1,000 homes.

The solar system, installed in partnership with Iberdrola Australia, will significantly grow Adelaide Airport’s solar output—currently comprising a system on the multi-storey car park roof and a smaller pre-existing system installed on the terminal roof generating a combined 1.28MW.

Adelaide Airport managing director Brenton Cox said, “This solar system will significantly increase Adelaide Airport’s cost-effective renewable energy generation. The project will result in Adelaide Airport exceeding our target to self-generate 15% of our airport precinct electricity needs from onsite renewable energy.

“Our purpose is to proudly connect and shape South Australia, our vision is to be everyone’s favourite airport and sustainability is a core feature of our strategic plan. Cost-effective, renewable energy is important for the long-term sustainability of our organisation and our partners.”

Iberdrola Australia executive chairman and CEO Ross Rolfe AO said, ”We are delighted to be supporting Adelaide Airport in achieving their sustainability goals. The combination of initiatives being pursued—including the rooftop solar and 100% renewable retail energy contract provided by Iberdrola Australia—show their deep commitment to decarbonisation and energy efficiency. They are demonstrating that a bright future is possible for Australia’s airports.”

Related article: Newcastle Airport signs renewables deal with Flow Power

A total of approximately 3,700 solar panels and 16 inverters will be installed as part of the project. Construction on the new solar system is expected to complete in early 2025.

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The AAPowerLink is the world’s largest renewable energy and transmission project in development and is projected to be one of the largest economic industrial developments in Australian history.

Related article: Industry veterans appointed to SunCable executive team

The project seeks to develop the world’s largest renewable energy precinct in the Barkly region of the Northern Territory.

Over two stages of development, it aims to deliver up to 4GW of 24/7 green electricity to green industrial customers in Darwin (900MW in Stage 1 and a further approximately 3GW in Stage 2), and 1.75GW to customers in Singapore via a 4,300km subsea cable.

SunCable Australia managing director Cameron Garnsworthy said, “SunCable is delighted to receive environmental approval from the Northern Territory Government to proceed with our flagship Australia-Asia PowerLink project.

“This approval allows us to progress the development, commercial, and engineering activities required to advance the project to Final Investment Decision targeted in 2027.

“AAPowerLink presents a unique opportunity for the Northern Territory to be at the forefront of this global shift through the development of its world-class renewable energy resources to supply customers in Darwin and Singapore with 24/7 green electricity.

“This will underpin a new wave of green industrial development in the NT, via prospective projects that include green minerals, hydrogen, e-fuels, and data centres.”

A Final Investment Decision (FID) is expected in 2027, with electricity supply to commence in the early 2030s.

Related article: SunCable eyes Tasmania for subsea cable manufacturing

The project is expected to deliver more than AU$20 billion in economic value to the Northern Territory during the construction period and first 35 years of operation.

SunCable’s AAPowerLink project had held Major Projects Status with the NT Government since 2019, and Commonwealth Government since 2020. Infrastructure Australia has assessed the project as Investment Ready on its Priority Initiative List.

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Related article: RES buys Ingeteam’s green division to form renewables giant

Ingeteam will provide advanced power electronics technology, including 15 transformers or power stations as a turnkey solution, and a power plant controller system.

Owned by Enel Green Power Australia, Girgarre Solar Farm will have a capacity of 93MWdc. Once operational, the project will generate the energy consumed by more than 43,000 Australian homes per year.

The Girgarre Solar Farm Project will consist of the construction and operation of approximately 169,500 PV modules and the related civil and electrical infrastructure.

The Project is in the Shire of Campaspe, in Victoria, Australia. The site is located approximately 10 km north-west of Stanhope and approximately 50km west of Shepparton.

The construction of the Girgarre Solar Farm has an investment value of over $140 million.

Related article: EVO Power and Ingeteam ink strategic partnership

The estimated construction timeframe for the plant is expected to be approximately 18 months, while the plant’s operational life is estimated at approximately 35 years.

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In 2019, Amazon set a goal to match all of the electricity consumed across its global operations—including data centres, corporate buildings, and fulfilment centres—with 100% renewable energy by 2030.

Related article: Amazon world’s largest corporate buyer of renewables

Not only has Amazon reached its goal seven years ahead of schedule, it has also become the largest corporate purchaser of renewable energy in the world for four years running, according to Bloomberg NEF.

“Reaching our renewable energy goal is an incredible achievement, and we’re proud of the work we’ve done to get here, seven years early. We also know that this is just a moment in time, and our work to decarbonise our operations will not always be the same each year—we’ll continue to make progress, while also constantly evolving on our path to 2040,”  Amazon chief sustainability officer Kara Hurst said.

In Australia, Amazon has now enabled seven renewable energy projects. This includes four utility scale projects—an operational solar farm in Wandoan, Queensland, operational solar farms in Suntop and Gunnedah in New South Wales, and a wind farm in Hawkesdale, Victoria—as well as three rooftop solar projects on Amazon facilities in Melbourne and Sydney.

Once operational, the projects are estimated to generate more than 1GWh of clean power—enough to power more than 175,000 Australian homes.

Related article: Amazon and Vena Energy announce Queensland solar project

These projects are helping to power Amazon’s Australian operations, including Amazon data centres, and fulfilment centres, while also providing new sources of clean power to local communities and the east coast grid.

The company invested AU$467 million in wind and solar farms in Australia from 2020 to 2022.

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The solar farms will be built on Rio Tinto leases, following agreement with the Gumatj and Rirratjingu Traditional Owner Groups on the location of the facilities, and will help underpin a low-carbon future for the Gove community after mining operations cease, towards the end of the decade.

Related article: Rio Tinto, Windlab ink Australia’s largest renewables PPA

Aggreko will construct, own and operate the solar farms for Rio Tinto for up to 10 years, beginning construction in July 2024 and with completion scheduled for early 2025. The two sites will have combined capacity of 10.5MW.

Rio Tinto Gove operations acting general manager Shannon Price said, “The Gove solar project is part of our shared vision with Traditional Owners to leave a positive legacy for the Gove Peninsula communities after bauxite mining ceases.

“We’re excited to work with the Gumatj and Rirratjingu clans to provide an opportunity to secure alternative electricity generation assets on their country and to discuss opportunities to commercialise energy infrastructure in the future.

“We are working in partnership with the Northern Territory Government and Traditional Owners to ensure a smooth transition of leased land and town assets and infrastructure as Rio Tinto prepares to stop mining at Gove later this decade.

“We are committed to our role in helping to plan for the region’s future, which includes providing options for reliable, affordable and environmentally sustainable infrastructure.

“The solar farms are also part of our ongoing commitment to decarbonise our business. Once operational, they are expected to reduce annual CO2e emissions at our Gove operations by up to 17%.

Related article: Boosting batteries and renewables in the Northern Territory

“We intend for these farms to underpin sustainable power for the region beyond mining.”

When complete, the solar farms are expected to reduce the region’s annual diesel consumption by about 20%, or 4.5 million litres a year, and lower annual carbon emissions by over 12,000 tonnes, which is the equivalent of taking 2,800 internal combustion engine cars off the road.

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