Distributed energy storage standards project launched
DNV GL, Deakin University, the CSIRO, and the Smart Energy Council have come together to collaborate on a two-year project to develop a new performance standard for distributed energy storage systems. The work behind the proposed Australian Battery Performance Standard is being funded $1.9 million from ARENA and the Victoria state government.
Solar and battery hydrogen innovation hub to be built in Western Australia
Canadian-owned gas network operator ATCO is developing a micro grid at its Jandakot facility, which will use solar power to produce hydrogen fuel. The Australian Renewable Energy Agency has committed $1.5 million to the project.
CEFC commits $35 million to smart meter technology
The Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) has completed its first smart meter technology financing, backing the expansion of intelliHUB, a joint venture between private equity investment firm Pacific Equity Partners and smart meter manufacturer Landis+Gyr.
Edge-of-grid farmers switch to solar and storage
Farms affected by power outages in the McKinlay Shire, north-western Queensland, can now go off grid – through a new solar+storage containerised solution from Germany’s Intech.
Panasonic mulls further investment in Tesla battery gigafactory as shortages loom
The suggestion of additional investments beyond the $1.6 billion follows reports of battery cell shortages as Tesla’s Model 3 picks up production. It is unknown what impacts this will have on Tesla’s stationary storage business.
Big storage goes metro: Tesla supplies 500 kWh to City of Sydney
The City of Sydney has installed the first large scale battery storage system to be located within the Sydney metropolitan are. Transgrid and the City collaborated on the project, which sees 500 kWh of batteries coupled with around 450 kWp of rooftop PV.
Reposit integrates smart home capability into platform
Canberra-based Reposit Power has introduced smart home automation to its solar, storage, monitoring and trading technology platform. The If This, Then That (IFTTT) web service that can switch on and off big electricity consumption devices like pool pumps and air conditioners, to maximise the utility of rooftop PV power.
Elon Musk’s unprecedented solar+storage vision for Puerto Rico moves forward
Puerto Rico is requesting ten 20 MW / 20 MWh batteries to be deployed strategically in the country’s power grid. The RFQ notes that sites should be upgradable to 40 MW / 160 MWh.
WA’s Granny Smith mine adds solar, storage under ‘as-a-service’ model
A 7.3 MW solar array and 2 MW/1 MWh battery will be added to the Granny Smith gold mine in Western Australia’s Eastern Goldfields region. The system will be provided by Aggreko and Younicos, under a ‘microgrid-as-a-service’ business model.
Off-grid in Australia: Unlimited Energy and Tesvolt discuss their award-winning WA project
German battery manufacturer, Tesvolt and EPC Unlimited Energy won the Smarter E award last week, for their innovative off-grid solar plus storage project in WA’s Southwest. The project demonstrates how solar can provide a reliable energy supply without back up from the grid, and why it is set to spread around the world even faster than many predict.
