2018 has been a sunny year so far with record-breaking temperature and some bright news for the renewable energy industry. Here are some highlights:
A new project for the Holden factory?
When we thought car manufacturing was over in Australia and a few months after Holden shuts its production in Adelaide, the South Australian government has been approached with a new plan for the site. Sanjeev Gupta, UK billionaire and GFG Alliance chairman, wants to turn the old Holden site into an electric car factory. If successful, this project would be a great news for the Australian car industry.
The manufactory would likely be powered by renewable energies and supplied by Gupta’s previous steel acquisitions, including Arrium and Whyalla steelworks.
Read more here.
150MW solar thermal project granted in South Australia
The Solar reserve Aurora project has been accepted. The construction will begin this year and last for two years. The project, located near Port Augusta, 300km from Adelaide, is set to be the largest of its type in the world. The Aurora plant will use 12,000 mirrors reflecting the sunlight onto a receiver located at the top of a 240 m tower.
The installation will generate 495 gigawatt-hours of power a year and will incorporate 87 hours of power. The AU$650 million plant is expected to create about 650 construction jobs and 50 ongoing positions.
Weeks after receiving the approval, the large-scale developer, SolarReserve has opened an Australia headquarter close to the future tower construction.
Read more about the project here.
The world first university 100% supplied by solar energy in NSW
University of New South West Sydney announced a contract with Maoneng Australia and Origin Energy to have 100% of its energy needs supplied by solar energy. It is the first deal of its kind in the world university sector, joining a retailer, developer and corporate. The university will purchase up to 124,000MWh a year form Maoneng’s Solar Farm (located near Balranald) and Origin will provide the backup electricity. In this way, UNSW aims to reach its goal of carbon neutrality by 2020.
Read the full article here.
Construction begins at the Lincoln Gap Wind farm
The Lincoln Gap Wind Farm project located near port Augusta has officially started at the end of the month. The project, led by power producer Nexif Energy, is a 59-wind turbine together with 10MW battery storage (to be upgraded in the future). The project will deliver approx. 212 MW of power to the 275kV grid line managed by ElectraNet. The installation should be finished by the end of 2018.
Further information about the project here.
50,000 homes to be turned into power generator in South Australia
A month after opening the world’s largest lithium-ion battery, Tesla and the South Australia government announced the creation of the world’s largest “virtual” power plant. South Australia Premier Jay Weatherill has revealed a partnership with Tesla to install solar-power systems on 50,000 homes. The system will comprise 5kW solar panels backed up with a 13.5-kilowatt-hour battery with the ambition of creating the world largest “virtual power plant,” where households are used to generate energy. The installation will be completely free of charge for the families.
More details of the announcement here
Has this article sparked your enthusiasm for solar? Or do you simply just want to know more? Call Energis today on 1300 782 217 or visit our website www.energis.com.au
