SA social housing VPP expanded to provide Tesla batteries to homes without solar
The Housing SA Tesla VPP is being expanded to include a trial of 20 homes unsuitable for solar installation. The SA Government is offering free Tesla batteries to such homes to show how participation in the VPP with a battery alone can still deliver significant savings.
Commonwealth puts $20 mill into Amber, helping energy customers ditch exxie fossil fuels for renewables
That’s the Commonwealth Bank of Australia we’re talking about, not the Commonwealth Government … but someone has to lead the way. Sustainability-savvy CBA is placing an investment bet on innovative energy retailer, Amber.
UNSW digs the data: How much solar energy is lost through automated inverter settings?
In a huge data-crunching project designed to inform rooftop solar-export policy and regulations, UNSW technical and social researchers delve into the costs and effectiveness of inverter standards.
Concrete battery for applications in buildings, rooftop PV
A prototype of a cement-based battery has been developed in Sweden for potential applications in buildings. Its creators claim it could become a solution to store electricity from rooftop PV and they do not exclude that it could also be used for the storage of large-scale renewables.
Sensor tech to detect fire in lithium-ion storage systems
The deflagration-prevention system combines automatically controlled door locks with a smart controller which manages signals from fire safety inputs such as smoke, heat, or gas detectors. It is applicable from 50 kW to multi-megawatt cabinets.
‘Software as a service, that’s the key’: why major solar business CEO says its all about data
In 2020, Anson Zhang, the CEO of Australia’s largest solar distributor, One Stop Warehouse, launched Discover Energy – entering the electricity retail space. The decision, Zhang told pv magazine Australia, confused many. Why would a company dominating solar supplies pivot to retailing. The simple answer: data.
Huawei enters Australia’s residential battery market with modular Luna2000
Chinese giant Huawei has entered Australia’s residential solar battery market with its home energy storage system, the Luna2000. The lithium-iron phosphate 5kWh cells have a modular design and are scalable to 30kWh. Huawei is banking on 10 kWh system capacities being most popular, telling pv magazine Australia they will retail for under AU$10,000.
Harvard scientists unveil solid-state lithium battery that can be charged and discharged at least 10,000 times
US scientists have created a new design for lithium-metal, solid-state batteries that should avoid the formation of dendrites that grow into the electrolyte. Their multilayered battery could potentially recharge electric vehicles within 10 to 20 minutes.
Sunday read: the ‘other side’ of batteries
Graphite’s pivotal role in electric-vehicle battery technology is coming under increasing scrutiny. Graphite is almost exclusively produced in China, and while the processing of the mineral poses serious environmental issues, the alternatives appear costly. Ian Morse looks at what’s next for critical graphite supplies.
Smart Energy declares government missed chance to recharge home battery schemes
Solar retailer Smart Energy believes Australia’s small-scale solar PV industry has been let down by the Federal Government which has been widely criticised for the lack of funding included in the Federal Budget for the renewable energy sector.
