Australian investment manager QIC is to invest AU$800 million (US$598 million) and power firm AGL is to provide AU$200 million of cornerstone equity for a major partnership in the development of large-scale renewable energy infrastructure in Australia.
Australia-based renewables firm Windlab and Japan’s Eurus energy have received development approval for a hybrid project comprising 20MW solar, 30MW wind and a 2MW lithium-ion battery storage system in Queensland, Australia.
Australia’s Victorian government has issued Green Bonds and raised AU$300 million (US$225 million) in order to finance various projects including a major renewable energy project.
Conservative groups and power industry bodies have made fresh calls to hinder Australia’s Renewable Energy Target (RET) in the wake of the federal election.
Leading CdTe thin-film manufacturer First Solar is discontinuing development and production of its hybrid heterojunction silicon cell and module technology, acquired via the acquisition of start-up TetraSun.
Solar PV installations are expected to surpass 60GW worldwide in 2016, up from the 50.6GW deployed last year, according to the latest figures from SolarPower Europe.
Morgan Stanley has predicted a boom in solar-plus-storage in Australia, calling PV a direct substitute for grid power and warning investors that the incumbent energy industry has been slow to react to trends.
Australia’s federal government plans a third AU$1 billion reallocation of money from the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC), prompting a backlash from solar campaigners.
Renewables firm Juwi Australia and KPS, a subsidiary of Pacific Energy, are partnering on hybrid systems using solar, battery energy storage and diesel or gas generation for remote mines in Australia.
