Australia’s first large solar + storage plant connected to the grid

The first large-scale solar and big battery storage installation in Australia – the Lakeland project near Cooktown in far north Queensland – has been officially connected to the grid.

Australia's first large-scale solar/battery installation near
Cooktown in northern Queesnald officially connected to the grid.

The 10.8MW solar facility, combined with a 1.4MW/5.3MWh battery storage facility is located near the very edge of the grid and when first announced in 2016 was being pitched as a world-first for remote, edge of grid technology, and one that would trigger a host of similar projects across Australia.

The project had been due for completion nearly six months ago under its original timetable, but the complexity of the first-of-its-type project – for the developers, the local grid owner, and the market operator – pushed the timetable back.

It has been feeding into the grid since late November, but only recently completed its full sign off with Ergon, the local network operator, and the Australian Energy Market Operator.

Read the RenewEconomy story by Giles Parkinson - “Australia’s first large solar  + storage plant connected to the grid.” 

Bleaching claims one-third of northern and central coral reefs

More than one-third of the coral reefs of the central and northern regions of the Great Barrier Reef have died in the huge bleaching event earlier this year, Queensland researchers said.

Corals to the north of Cairns – covering about two-thirds of the Great Barrier Reef – were found to have an average mortality rate of 35 per cent, rising to more than half in areas around .

The study, of 84 reefs along the reef, found corals south of Cairns had escaped the worst of the bleaching and were now largely recovering any colour that had been lost.

Professor Terry Hughes, director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook University, said he was "gobsmacked" by the scale of the coral bleaching which far exceeded the two previous events in 1998 and 2002.

Read Peter Hannam’s story in today’s Melbourne Age - “'Huge wake up call': Third of central, northern Great Barrier Reef corals dead.”

We need to 'think bigger' to save our great wonder



Lissa Schindler -
 we need to
"think bigger"

Government’s need to “think bigger” if they are to protect on one of the world’s great wonders from climate change.

Acidification of the world’s oceans by carbon dioxide threatens Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, but little, or nothing is being done.

A story published today in the Melbourne Age headed: “Survey finds Great Barrier Reef coral losing strength” points the inadequate governmental response.

“Scientists surveying a reef flat just south of the resort island, off Cooktown, have measured a near 40 per cent decline in deposition of the vital building block for healthy coral, calcium carbonate”, the story says.

It adds, “However, the risk is not dealt with in the federal and Queensland governments' draft Reef 2050 Long-Term Sustainability plan, which refers to unspecified action to "maximise the reef's resilience to the current and future effects of climate change.

“The Australian Marine Conservation Society's Lissa Schindler said: "The Reef 2050 plan doesn't really do anything to engage on climate change. It needs to think bigger."