Distributed Storage

Soluna Australia’s lithium-ion residential energy storage systems have achieved accreditation with the Clean Energy Council and are now eligible for incentives under the federal and state government programs.

Andrew Mears, Founder and CEO of software company SwitchDin says rooftop solar is set to realise its full stack of value, for consumers, electricity retailers, network providers and the grid operator.

Monash University researchers have developed an energy exchange framework to better manage distributed energy resources, which they say will help consumers lower their power costs. The applicability of this perspective is demonstrated through the university’s landmark on-site microgrid.

Ikea has launched its turnkey home solar offer in Australia, making it the first market outside Europe that can purchase a home solar kit from its website. Ikea has partnered with Solargain to try and bring solar to as many Australian rooftops as possible.

Nationals’ Victoria Murray Plains MP Peter Walsh has launched a criticism of the Labor Andrews Government Solar Homes program for its alleged Melbourne-centrism in overlooking his electorate entirely in relation to his battery storage rebate.

As utilities, networks and governments get their distributed-resource ducks in a row, the time is ripe for VPPs and microgrids to play a more powerful role in Australia’s energy system. The latest? SwitchDin, a DER innovator with globally acknowledged capabilities has attracted investment from Q Cells a PV manufacturer with chops and channels.

Photon Energy Australia has been busier than a face-mask factory lately, and shows no signs of stopping after winning a tender for a 3 MWp hybrid solar power plant from North East Water to help power the Wodonga Wastewater Treatment Plant.

The continuing dominance of the small-scale solar sector and the great potential for regional and rural jobs are just some of the findings in the Clean Energy Council’s “Clean Energy At Work”, a first-of-its-kind extensive report into the current renewable energy workforce and its potential over the next 10-15 years.

Okra Solar, the Aussie startup we last saw delivering solar mini-grids to remote communities via a shared ping-pong table, is emerging from Covid-19 lockdown with new investors and two new pieces of tech that will better enable solar energy access to the 900 million people around the world still lacking power.

An additional $2.9 million from the Australian Government’s Outer Islands Renewable Energy Project (OIREP) is making its way across the sea to the kingdom of Tonga in the form of solar power plants and energy storage. The project is helping Tonga to achieve its target of generating 50% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2020 and 70% by 2030.