Distributed Storage

A report by Norwegian energy consultant DNV GL has considered the opportunity for long-term energy storage to play a role in balancing annual supply and demand fluctuations in a renewables-led grid. Using 58 years of Dutch weather and energy consumption data, the study found long-term solutions such as green hydrogen could make a valuable contribution – but perhaps not as much as some analysts believe.

The South Australian Government’s subsidy under the $100 million Home Battery Scheme will have its first planned reduction in five weeks’ time.

German residential battery supplier sonnen has wasted no time in getting deeply involved in all aspects of the Australian solar market – from VPP programs, rolling out its “flat” electricity pricing scheme, to providing batteries for bushfire impacted homes. But its setting up battery assembly at a defunct Holden factory in South Australia and achieving Australian Made status truly sets it apart, says sonnen Australia’s CEO Nathan Dunn.

The South Australian Government is expected to announce a decrease in the subsidy level and cap for its Home Battery Scheme this week, while the Victorian Government has more than doubled the eligible postcodes for its Solar Homes program.

The South Australian Government has partnered with sonnen to offer 188 families a locally assembled sonnenBatterie as they rebuild their homes.

The Berejiklian government has launched a pilot program that will allow eligible Hunter residents to access interest-free loans for battery and solar-battery systems.

Australian researchers have compiled data from 173 studies which examined homeowner behavior when buying rooftop PV and identified 333 predictors related to the attitude, knowledge, tendency, awareness, willingness and intent of householders.

The ARC Research Hub for Integrated Energy Storage Solutions has a broad research mandate as it looks for innovative energy storage solutions for the energy transition, but some of the nation’s finest minds are now working on them together.

The debate now stewing in the Australian Parliament around the viability and cost of setting a target of net-zero emissions by 2050 is again proving a case of too little vision applied too late. A new forum casts all participants as “leaders” and as it seeks to accelerate emissions reduction opportunities today.

The Meekatharra Solar Consortium is a spirited community initiative in the West Australian Outback town of Meekathurra. The Consortium has installed solar PV across two turn-of-the-century buildings and intends to share the solar power with the community.