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Fortescue’s 644-MW Pilbara Solar Hub Opens to Public Review Process
Australia’s Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has invited comments on Fortescue Ltd’s proposed 644-MW Turner River Solar Hub, a vast PV array
May 30, 2025 // Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Western Australia, Fortescue, Turner River, Pilbara solar, EPA review
CSIRO Unveils Beam-Down Solar Reactor, Pushing Green Hydrogen Frontiers
Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, has fired up the country’s first “beam-down” solar reactor at its Newcastle Energy Centre—an innovation that captures concentrated sunlight, points it downwards and turns water into green hydrogen in one seamless step.
Conventional tower systems focus heliostat mirrors on a receiver at the top of the tower. CSIRO’s redesign places a secondary mirror there, redirecting the intense beam to ground-level where a fluidised bed of doped ceria particles hits temperatures beyond 1,300 °C. In a two-step redox cycle, the hot material releases oxygen; when steam is injected, it re-oxidises and yields high-purity hydrogen—no fossil fuel heat, no direct carbon emissions.
Backed by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) and developed with Niigata University, the 250-kW pilot has achieved solar-to-hydrogen efficiencies topping 20 %—roughly triple typical solar-driven electrolysis benchmarks. Researchers say the modular reactor can ramp quickly with cloud cover, making it a fit for iron, steel and alumina producers that struggle to electrify high-temperature processes.
CSIRO chemical engineer Dr Michael Rae calls the demonstration “a critical proof of concept” for exporting sunshine in molecular form: “Beam-down simplifies optics, keeps the chemistry on the ground and paves a path to hundred-megawatt solar-fuel plants.” The team is now logging performance data for a year-long campaign while scouting industry partners to scale a multi-megawatt follow-up.
While green-hydrogen headlines often focus on electrolyser gigafactories, solar-thermochemical routes like beam-down promise deeper cuts in embedded emissions by ditching grid electricity altogether. Analysts at RenewEconomy note that if the pilot meets durability targets, Australia could combine its vast sunbelt, mineral exports and shipping links to Japan and Korea into a new energy trade built on carbon-free molecules rather than LNG.
The Newcastle breakthrough comes amid a global race to decarbonise “hard-to-abate” sectors. Europe’s HySys program and U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory are field-testing similar redox cycles, yet CSIRO’s beam-down marks the first fully integrated solar-hydrogen trial at meaningful scale. Commercial-scale units, researchers estimate, could be online before 2030—just in time for steelmakers facing the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism and other tightening climate policies.
Jun 18, 2025 // Solar to Fuel, decarbonisation, CSIRO, green-hydrogen, solar-thermal, beam-down
Ingeteam to Power Gentari’s Pioneering NSW Solar-Storage Hybrid by 2027
expert Ingeteam has won the technology package for Maryvale, eastern Australia’s first DC-coupled solar-plus-storage project, marking a breakthrough in
Jul 14, 2025 // Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Storage, Australia, Oceania, Ingeteam, Gentari
BP Exits $36-Billion Australian Green Hydrogen and Renewables Project
world’s most ambitious clean-energy ventures—the USD 36 billion Australian Renewable Energy Hub (AREH)—signaling a decisive shift back toward the
Jul 25, 2025 // Markets & Finance News, Australia, Oceania, bp, Asia Pacific, AREH, Australian Renewable Energy Hub
Energy storage firm Eguana gets Australian Solarlab
of virtual power plants, which are set to play a key function in the Australian market," Eguana chief executive officer's Justin Holland noted in a press
Mar 8, 2023 // Markets & Finance News, Australia, Oceania, Eguana, Solarlab
Foresight secures Oz solar refinancing
reached final authorization for a A$ 60m refinancing of a solar portfolio in Australia.
The developer has actually secured a term facility of approximately A$ 59M
Apr 11, 2022 // Markets & Finance News, Foresight
Osaka Gas to get in US solar as well as storage markets
firm Aqua Aerem to establish a 10GW green hydrogen project in Northern
May 17, 2022 // Markets & Finance News, Storage, USA, ENERGY STORAGE, North America, utility scale solar, Oriden, Osaka Gas, agreement
India's Luminous Shines Bright with Solar Panel Factory
module performance lab in partnership with the University of New South Wales, Australia.
What types of solar panels will Luminous Power Technologies produce at their
Apr 1, 2024 // Manufacturing News, India, Asia, solar panel, Luminous
Octopus Snaps Up 100MW Battery, Bolsters NSW Solar
Group’s Australian arm has bought a 100‑MW battery project in New South Wales to firm capacity at its solar parks, advancing its storage-led strategy. The
Oct 16, 2025 // Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Storage, PV Power Plant, octopus group
Naturgy protects PPA from steel firm Sidenor
and also international degree.
The bargain follows a PPA recently checked in Australia for the sale of renewable energy, an area in which it has turned into one of
Mar 10, 2021 // Markets & Finance News, Spain, PPA, Europe, Naturgy, José Antonio Jainaga
Solar growth continues to erode coal market share in Australia as prices soar
units and also constrained north-south power sharing, the latest version of Australian Energy Market Operator's quarterly energy dynamics report has actually
May 17, 2022 // Markets & Finance News, UTILITY-SCALE SOLAR, Australia, AEMO, NEM, Oceania, national energy market, distributed generation, grid transmission
NSW Govt Opens ROI for 8 GW RE Zone in New England, Australia
The New South Wales (NSW) government the other day opened the enrollments of interest (ROI) procedure to welcome generation, storage space and network developers to be a part of the state's 2nd Renewable Energy Zone in New England (New England REZ), Australia.
Jun 4, 2021 // Markets & Finance News, Australia, Oceania, new south wales, new england REZ, registrations of interest, ROI
Australia's Victoria promotes rooftop solar as part of gas substitution roadmap
The Australian state of Victoria is promoting the uptake of rooftop solar as part of a new approach focused on minimizing gas use and also decreasing household power bills.
Jul 5, 2022 // Storage, Rooftop PV, Victoria, Australia, Oceania, decarbonisation
Neoen lodges intending application for 1-GW/4-GWh battery in Western Australia
energy needs of 260,000 houses for an hour.
Neoen is the programmer of Australia's biggest BESS-- the 300 MW/450 MWh Victorian Large Battery that browsed the
Sep 14, 2022 // Storage, France, Europe, Western Australia, Neoen SA
Coolant leakage 'most likely' sparked gigantic Tesla battery fire in Australia
a second battery at the website near Geelong, in Victoria state southwest of Australia's 2nd city Melbourne.
It took firefighters 3 days to bring controlled. No
Sep 29, 2021 // Storage, TESLA, Australia, Oceania, Energy Safe Victoria








