Nine generation and battery projects totaling 1.8 GW reached full output in Australia’s National Electricity Market (NEM) during the fourth quarter of 2025, according to the Australian Energy Market Operator.

From pv magazine Australia

New data from the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) shows two solar farms and seven battery energy storage projects totalling 1.8 GW of capacity reached full output in the NEM in the October-December period.

AEMO’s latest Connections Scorecard shows the pipeline of new generation and energy storage projects going through the connection process in the NEM reached a record 64 GW in the last quarter, up 7.4 GW or 14%, on the previous quarter.

During the fourth quarter, 26 GW of new connection applications were submitted and 3.8 GW of applications across 18 projects were approved. In addition, 1.9 GW of plant across 10 solar, solar and battery hybrid, hydro, and standalone battery projects was registered and connected to the NEM, enabling them to move into the final stages of commissioning and operational readiness.

AEMO Onboarding and Connections Group Manager Margarida Pimentel said the standout result in the fourth quarter was the nine projects that achieved full output.

The 1.8 GW of new capacity commissioned to full output in the quarter takes the cumulative project capacity commissioned in the 2026 financial year to date (FYTD) to 3.8 GW, 89% more than the same time last year.

“These results highlight both the maturity of the pipeline and the sector’s increasing capability to deliver,” Pimentel said. “Reaching 1.8 GW of new plant at full output this quarter is a significant achievement and underlines the collaborative effort between project proponents, network service providers and AEMO in progressing new infrastructure safely and efficiently.”

The nine projects to reach full output in the last quarter included Neoen’s 350 MW Culcairn Solar Farm in New South Wales (NSW) and Metlen Energy and Metals’ 120 MW Munna Creek Solar Farm in Queensland.

Seven battery energy storage projects also progressed through commissioning to reach full output during the quarter. These included the 600 MW Melbourne Renewable Energy Hub in Victoria, the 300 MW Tarong and 205 MW Brendale projects in Queensland, the 111 MW Templers battery in South Australia, and the 65 MW Smithfield battery project in NSW.

The Scorecard shows that battery storage continues to dominate the investment pipeline, accounting for 46% of all projects progressing through the connection process in the NEM.

Hybrid solar and battery projects account for 19.7% of projects in the pipeline, with wind (16%), solar (11.9%), hydro (4.7%) and gas (1.4%) making up the remainder.

“The growth in battery storage will complement renewable generation by storing low‑cost, low‑emissions electricity during the day for release to support demand during the evening peak,” Pimentel said, adding that the December quarter demonstrated strong progress across every stage of the connections process. “The ongoing increase to 64 GW in the connections pipeline shows that confidence in Australia’s renewable energy transition remains strong,” she said.

Australia’s federal government will invest AUD 24.7 million ($16.9 million) over three years in a national pilot to recycle end-of-life solar panels, aiming to reduce landfill disposal and recover valuable materials from the country’s growing rooftop solar fleet.

From pv magazine Australia

The federal government has announced it will invest AUD 24.7 million over three years to deliver a national pilot for recycling solar panels that will help address the growing waste issues as they reach end of life.

The pilot program will establish up to 100 collection sites across the country, aiming to improve the management of end-of-life PV modules as Australia’s solar fleet continues to expand and mature. It will also support the development of a circular economy, allowing material and strategic minerals like copper, silver, silicon and aluminium to be recovered and reused rather than lost to landfill.

More than 4.2 million rooftop solar systems have been installed across Australia and an estimated 4 million panels are being decommissioned each year but government analysis shows only 17% of those panels are currently being recycled.

“Most panels are either stockpiled, dumped in landfill or exported for reuse,” Federal Environment Minister Murray Watt said. “These materials can be repurposed to support the clean energy transition and help reduce what we send to landfill.”

The government commitment comes after a Productivity Commission report into Australia’s circular economy recommended the government “urgently establish” a national recycling scheme for solar panels and investigate the merits of a similar scheme for electric vehicle batteries.

“Currently, neither solar PV systems nor EV batteries are managed in a consistent or comprehensive way once they are considered to have reached their end of life,” the report says. “Though some private recycling services exist in Australia … only 17% of solar panel components are recycled with the remaining 83% of materials treated as waste.”

The Productivity Commission said the key barrier to the growth of a solar recycling industry is the cost of recycling the panels, which it estimated is about six times the cost of sending them to landfill.

Darren Johannesen, executive general manager of sustainability at the Smart Energy Council, said the program would transform a growing waste challenge into a major economic opportunity.

“Solar panels are not a waste problem, rather a critical resource,” he said. “They contain precious materials like silver, copper, aluminium, silicon and high-grade glass, commodities critical to our clean energy shift.”

“Implementing a national stewardship scheme, which we hope and expect will follow the pilot, will trigger an urban-mining boom, and a new wave of smart energy investment in jobs and growth.”

The Australian government estimates the creation of a national product stewardship scheme for small-scale solar PV systems could unlock up to $7.3 billion in economic benefits through reduced waste and reuse of materials.