Renewable energy powered Exmouth: Western Australia’s popular tourist destination Exmouth will have 80% of its electricity needs met by renewable energy by 2026, announced Cook Labor government. Under a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Pacific Energy, Horizon Power will install a mix of large-scale and rooftop solar and battery storage here. When needed, gas-fired generation will be available on demand. This will involve the construction of a 9.6 MW solar farm and 2 batteries with a combined 10 MW/49.6 MWh capacity. Construction on site will begin in mid-2025.
BrightNight’s AUD 700 Million Australian investment: Renewable energy independent power producer (IPP) BrightNight has secured the development approval for its Mortlake Energy Hub in Victoria, Australia from the state government. The project with 360 MW of solar PV generation, and a 300 MW battery energy storage system (BESS) will become the largest integrated hybrid renewable energy project in the state, according to the company. BrightNight plans to invest AUD 700 million ($471 million) to build the hub that will be designed to generate enough dispatchable renewable energy to power close to 140,000 homes. It will contribute over 1% of Victoria’s total electricity consumption. BrightNight said this project will contribute to helping Victoria meet its renewable energy targets of 65% by 2030 and 95% by 2035.
Photon offloads PV projects: Dutch solar PV company Photon Energy has agreed to sell 2 of its operating solar PV power plants with a combined 14.5 MW capacity, and a hybrid solar and battery project with 8.2 MW/10.9 MWh capacity in Australia. While Leeton and Fivebough solar farms are grid connected to the Essential Energy Distribution Network since 2021, the Boggarbi, New South Wales (NSW)-located project is currently under development. It has sold these projects to CleanPeak Energy.
Japan Benex commissions 3.38 MW rooftop plant: Nippon Benex or Japan Benex has commissioned a 3.38 MW rooftop solar power plant on the roof of the UI Konan Logistics Center Phase 1. This is a logistics facility developed by UI in Konan City of Shiga Prefecture. The entire capacity has been installed as close to 2 MW for on-site power purchase agreement (PPA), and 1.3 MW for full feed-in-premium (FIP) power sales. The modules used are from Tint Solar while Sungrow has supplied its inverters for the solar array. The company counts the total number of power plants now it owns as 43, representing close to 56.6 MW capacity. Out of these, 26 systems are rented out on the roofs of logistics facilities with a combined 47.6 MW capacity.
AUD 9 million for climate change in the Pacific: Australia has committed AUD 9 million ($6 million) for the Regional Pacific Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) Hub. It will support Australia’s Pacific neighbors that are part of the hub to respond to climate change. The Hub comprises 14 Pacific nations enabling them to access climate support, including investment planning, low-emissions strategy development and emissions reporting. The AUD 9 million will strengthen the region’s collective approach as one Blue Pacific Continent as the countries submit their new NDCs in 2025, and implement the same. “Climate change is no longer a threat, it’s a reality, and Australia is committed to supporting our closest neighbours to deliver on their ambitious emissions reduction targets and manage investment planning for low emissions development,” said Australia’s Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen.
1 GW solar module distributorship: China’s JA Solar has signed a 1 GW solar module distributorship agreement with Australia’s ‘largest’ solar distributor One Stop Warehouse (OSW). Under this expanded partnership between the 2, OSW will supply its modules in distributed solar markets across Europe, the US, and the Asia Pacific region between 2025 and 2027.
Huasun expands in Pakistan: China’s Huasun Energy has completed the shipment of over 100 MW of heterojunction (HJT) modules to Pakistan, a milestone it celebrated with its local partners in Lahore and Karachi. It completed this delivery through AE Power, its exclusive distributor in Pakistan. The company also unveiled its zero busbar (0BB) modules in Pakistan for the 1st time. On the occasion, it also renewed framework agreements with clients including Newage, Nisar Spinning, Fast Cable, and Bestway Energy. Huasun also signed new memorandums of understanding (MoU) with leading EPC companies Reon Energy, Orient Energy, and R&R Engineering.