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This Week in Solar: Solar’s Surge To New Records

1. Hybrid vs Battery Ready Solar System: Which is Better for Me?

What Is the Difference Between Hybrid and Battery Ready Systems?
How Will I Know If My Existing System is Battery Ready?

We know you want to make sure you’re using the right kind of system for your needs, in order to give yourself the biggest benefit.

Here are the answers to questions you should ask yourself before choosing a hybrid or battery ready solar system, or making changes to the system you already have.

2. Solar for parking machines

New Zealand researchers have proposed a way to assess the technical and economic feasibility of PV-powered parking machines. Solar might be an ideal solution, but the siting of the machines is critical and should be planned in advance, in line with available solar radiation and potential shading.

3. FRV’s Goonumbla Solar Farm fully operational despite market challenges

Despite challenges arising from the outbreak of Covid-19 and Australia-specific grid woes, Fotowatio Renewable Ventures (FRV) has announced that its 69.75 MW Goonumbla Solar Farm in New South Wales has completed construction and started feeding electricity into the grid. The project output has been contracted under a power purchase agreement with Snowy Hydro as part of its Renewable Energy Procurement Program launched to put downward pressure on wholesale energy prices.

4. How solar is securing rural bushfire ‘last resorts’

The Hepburn Recreation Reserve has been recently fitted out with a solar installation accompanied by a Tesla Powerwall 2. The combined system is not only a great result for the local sports clubs, it also helps Hepburn Shire on its way to 100% renewables, and what is more, also secures the important facility as a ‘last resort’ for the community during a bushfire.

5. Chevron to build 500MW wind and solar to power facilities in Australia, elsewhere

US oil giant Chevron has become the latest fossil fuel production giant to plan significant investments in wind and solar capacity, in what seems initially as a token gesture towards lowering emissions but could involve a more significant commitment down the line.

It has announced a deal with Canada-based renewable energy developer Algonquin to build 500MW of wind and solar installations to help power its facilities in Western Australia, as well as Argentina, Kazakhstan and in Texas and New Mexico in the US.

6. Rooftop solar’s stunning surge to new records, as Australia installs reach 2.5 million

Australia’s rooftop solar market has defied the disruption caused by Covid-19, setting new installation records in the month of July, and pushing Australia past 2.5 million total rooftop solar installs.

According to an analysis prepared by Sunwiz, growth in rooftop solar systems has continued at record-smashing pace, with 275MW of small-scale rooftop solar capacity (under 100kW) installed in the month of July alone, and new state records set in NSW, Queensland, Victoria and South Australia.

7. GE Renewable Energy and Walcha to develop hydro storage in Australia

GE Renewable Energy has signed an agreement with Walcha Energy to develop a 500MW pumped hydro storage project in Australia.

The Dungowan project would power almost 125,000 households from the New England Renewable Energy Zone, in New South Wales (NSW), Australia.

8. Australia’s two renewable export mega-projects say there is room for both, and more

The heads of two of Australia’s largest renewable energy developments, both seeking to establish energy export links into an energy hungry Asian region, say there is room for even more Australian based renewable energy projects to supply energy into the region.

Together, the Sun Cable and Asia Renewable Energy Hub projects represent 25GW of potential wind and solar capacity, and another 30GWh of storage. That is equivalent to Australia’s entire domestic needs to replace the bulk of the coal fleet that will retire in coming decades, according to some scenarios.

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