Distributed Storage

Researchers in Canada have found that nearly zero-energy buildings (NZEBs) with on-site solar energy generation should not exceed an energy use intensity (EUI) of 50 kWh/m2a, which they said corresponds to a maximum of 10 floors. They also ascertained that the maximum permitted EUI by net-zero energy status is 17–28 kWh/m2a.

Australian battery technology company Vaulta has unveiled its first dedicated residential battery with the small-scale energy storage system purportedly able to operate for 4,000 cycles with an 80% depth of discharge.

A grid-connected community battery has gone live in Sydney’s western suburbs with New South Wales electricity distributor Endeavour Energy trialling the technology as a means to maximise the benefits of rooftop solar generation and more efficiently manage supply and demand in the network.

United States-based battery startup Nuvola Technology says it has developed a direct deposition polymer separator technology that can eliminate the primary cause of lithium-ion battery fires.

China-based GoodWe has developed two new solutions – the ETC 100 kW hybrid inverter and the BTC 100 kW retrofit battery inverter – for commercial and industrial solar applications.

A new report released by Australia’s national science agency shows that renewables, led by large-scale and rooftop solar, remain the cheapest form of new-build power generation in Australia despite a 20% average rise in technology costs.

The founder and deputy chair of Australian-based investment firm St Baker Energy Innovation Fund plans to establish a lithium-ion phosphate battery manufacturing plant in the Philippines with annual production capacity of 1.2 GWh by the end of the decade.

Germany battery manufacturer VoltStorage has unveiled a containerised 50 kWh vanadium redox flow battery that is designed to optimise self-consumption in commercial and industrial PV systems.

New South Wales network operator Ausgrid has installed its first pole-mounted battery energy storage system as part of a trial which will examine the viability of the technology to better manage the increasing penetration of rooftop solar and periods of peak demand on the network.

Australia must leverage bilateral trade agreements to capitalise on a once-in-a-century opportunity to be a global leader in energy transition, a new report from the Climate Energy Finance think tank suggests.