Capital
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South Australia-based solar panel manufacturer Tindo was allocated $34.5 million under the $1 billion federal Solar Sunshot Program. Tindo, Australia’s only solar module manufacturer, will use the funding to upgrade its Mawson Lakes facility, scaling annual output from 20 MW to 180 MW. The project also includes a feasibility study for a future gigafactory capable of producing 1GW of solar panels a year.
"When the Solar Sunshot Program was first announced back in March last year, I immediately took a delegation to China to have a look at what the best in the world was in terms of manufacturing solar components. I came away incredibly impressed but also confident that this kind of thing could be done in Australia. And walking around the factory today and seeing the quality control and the impressive panels that are produced here, the high efficiency, I'm absolutely convinced that Australia can play right at the top of the game against the Chinese manufactured panels.”
Darren Miller
ARENA CEO
ARENA also awarded $11 million to support feasibility studies for upstream solar manufacturing including $5 million to Townsville-based Solquartz and $1.3 million to Energus for a feasibility study for a production facility at AGL’s Hunter Energy Hub, and $4.7 million to Stellar PV for its feasibility study for a 2GW polysilicon facility near Townsville.
Australia’s minimal restrictions on AI and strong institutional frameworks should further sustain strong demand in Australian data centres, ratings agency Moody’s said, in a report forecasting capacity could double by 2030. However, no new large-scale data centres can presently connect to the distribution networks in the inner city and Western Sydney availability zones, it said, because of constraints within the network.
“The networks, which usually connect on a “first-come, first-served” basis, are now moving toward rationalising power. Applicants are being assessed on criteria such as sponsor track record, program achievability and anchor tenants – a process that should favour high-quality sponsors.”
Moody's Ratings
 Projects
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The Australian arm of US battery developer Pacific Green signed a 1.5GWh BESS offtake agreement with ZEN Energy which it said significantly accelerated its route to market for its Australian project portfolio.
Policy
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The Productivity Commission said Australia needed to improve the state of data access, including for energy data, in order to unlock untapped value. Its interim report to Treasurer Jim Chalmers on harnessing data and digital technology called out the Consumer Data Right (CDR) in energy as being “far from mature” with greater data sharing needed to deliver productivity gains. It recommended standardised data transfers and industry-led basic data exports operate alongside CDR.
The AFR editorial called for Labor’s productivity roundtable to deliver the Graeme Samuel recommended one-stop shop for environmental approvals.
“The extraordinary blowout in the cost of NSW’s first renewable energy zone near Dubbo in the state’s central west (from an original $650 million costing to an estimate now of $5.5 billion) shows the urgent need to put downwards pressure on power prices, which should start with streamlining approvals to bring new generation online as fast as possible.”
The Australian Workers Union welcomed the $135 million state and federal government bailout package for critical minerals producer Nyrstar, but said Australia needed a better approach than “playing whack-a-mole every time there’s a crisis”.
“China is spending more on propping up its manufacturing sector than it spends on defence. Either we let them undercut our operations into oblivion, or we step up with a strategic national approach. We need to develop a long-term, national strategy to retain our smelters so they can thrive in the future when we get our act together on energy costs.”
Paul Farrow
AWU National Secretary
Environment Victoria called on the Victorian government to prioritise the roll out of the SEC’s one stop shop services to the 10 towns affected by Solstice Energy’s decision to switch off their gas. “Installers need to offer competitive quotes and help people access the generous Victorian Energy Upgrades incentives that are available,” Kat Lucas-Healey, senior climate and energy advisor with the advocacy group, said.
Solar energy grants worth US$7 billion look set to be cancelled by the US Environment Protection Authority. (New York Times)
Regulation
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Energy Consumers Australia, supported by a report from Baringa Partners, argued for a revision of the role of the wholesale Market Price Cap (MPC) in its submission to the AEMC’s 2026 Reliability Settings Review. The Baringa report found the MPC, rising to $21,500/MWh in FY28 with the aim of incentivising investment in new capacity, would add $4.7 billion in additional costs to consumers. It says the NEM review should consider the role of the MPC alongside the suite of measures in scope to provide more targeted price signals over operational and investment timeframes.
Ausgrid’s Community Power Network concept is up for discussion in a new paper from the Australian Energy Regulator as it considers whether to let the network include the costs of the program in its future revenue allowance, and also bypass ring-fencing requirements. Feedback is due by September 16.
The behavioural economics team of the government reviewed work by the Australian Energy Regulator to help consumers navigate the energy market. It found the percentage of Energy Made Easy visitors who arrived at the website because of a prompt on their energy bills jumped from 7% in August to 23% by November 2023. After behaviourally informed changes to the site, users were also more likely to share their meter data, the quickest way to get to a results page with the most accurate results (from 39% to 70%).
Technology
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Latin America’s first green-hydrogen-powered fuel cell truck hit the road in Chile. (IEEE Spectrum)
Power is the “single biggest constraint” for Amazon Web Services with more demand than capacity, Amazon president Andy Jassy said on a company earnings call. (Latitude Media)
People
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Powerlink CEO and Griffith University Professor Paul Simshauser said he would step down from Queensland’s state-owned transmission company in mid-November. Simshauser will do a stint of university research before returning to the private sector.
Solar specialist Nigel Morris joined the Smart Energy Council as Chief Strategy Officer.
Peter Cook, a lifelong fixer of failed or stalled projects, won the Diggers & Dealers GJ Stokes Memorial Award, which recognises a person who has made a significant contribution to the mining industry.
Research
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A lack of consumer trust in the organisations providing and delivering demand side flexibility services and automation means more than financial incentives are needed to drive uptake, according to new research that also considered Australia’s Consumer Energy Resources Roadmap. The UK-based researchers said building trust required users to retain a sense of agency in decision-making, something some had seen reduced after investing in solar for their home.
