Distributed Storage

The Northern Territory has emerged as the national leader in solar battery adoption with more than 30% of homes and businesses with rooftop solar systems having now installed a battery.

Investigators from Fire and Rescue New South Wales have determined a compromised lithium-ion battery was the cause of a housefire north of Sydney last week where two people died.

The first of energy storage solutions specialist Chelion’s new iHome high-voltage residential battery storage systems are now being rolled out in Australia.

The Clean Energy Council (CEC) has called for the federal government to introduce a subsidy program to support residential battery uptake. The CEC says a so-called Home Battery Saver Program would be “the missing piece of the [policy] puzzle.”

Queensland-based battery company Redflow has secured up to $1.12 million in government funding to support the development of a large-scale zinc-bromine flow battery prototype and to examine the potential to establish a large-scale battery manufacturing facility in the state.

German solar technology developer and retailer 1komma5° has continued to strengthen its presence in the Australian market with the acquisition of Queensland-based Arkana Energy Group.

The Queensland government is adding a further $210 million in pursuit of establishing a battery production industry in the state. The sum brings the total committed to its Battery Industry Strategy to $570 million.

GoodWe has developed a 60 kWh battery for commercial and industrial PV systems, featuring a compartment for its ET15-30kW inverter series.

The federal government is to provide advanced technology and skills development to businesses looking to locally manufacture renewable energy technologies, following a $14 million fund to create the Powering Australia Industry Growth Centre.

Portable solar generators are making their way from the fringes of solar and energy storage to become a mainstream consumer item. The rise has been charged by a range of factors that have created massive brands. Where did the sector emerge from, who was buying before, who is buying now, and what’s next? Tristan Rayner reports.