AlphaESS partners with Hills Wildlife Sanctuary to strengthen bushfire resilience
AlphaESS is supplying a fully installed solar and battery system that will cut the sanctuary’s power bills and give it the energy independence to keep caring for animals when severe weather or bushfires take out the grid.
The partnership was announced at the Clean Energy Council Masterclass Theatre at All Energy Australia, at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. AlphaESS is the sponsor of this year’s CEC Masterclass sessions.
Power as critical infrastructure
For a wildlife hospital, power is not optional. Hills Wildlife Sanctuary cares for injured, orphaned and displaced native animals on 35 acres of bushland bordering Berowra Valley National Park. Its clinic equipment and animal enclosures need power around the clock, and the site sits in bushfire-prone country where outages tend to hit just as demand for wildlife care peaks.
The system – a complete StaX commercial energy storage solution – will store daytime solar for overnight use and keep essential loads running during grid outages. It will be installed in the coming months.
“AlphaESS has been building Australia’s energy future since 2015. Our energy solutions support local communities and improve resilience,” said Dong Lin, Chief Operations Officer and Vice-President of AlphaESS. “Installers tell us the thing that matters most in a battery partner is what happens after the install, and this sanctuary is a very public test of that.
“Supporting a site where reliable power is part of everyday animal care is the clearest way we can contribute to wildlife conservation, and show what local support looks like in practice.”
“When fire or storms knock the power out, our work doesn’t stop. That’s usually when the animals need us most,” said Ben Dessen, Director, Hills Wildlife Sanctuary. “Having our own solar and battery system means lower bills every month and the confidence that our clinic and enclosures stay powered when it counts. We’d rather have a practical partner than a cheque, and that’s what AlphaESS has been.”
Built for resilience
The partnership is about building in every sense. It builds resilience into a site that cannot afford to lose power, builds savings into a not-for-profit’s budget, and builds the sanctuary’s capacity to respond when the next bushfire season arrives. For the industry, it is a working example of how behind-the-meter storage can help community facilities that carry an outsized load during emergencies build their own energy independence.
AlphaESS has operated in Australia since 2015 and is one of the top home battery brands in the country. Its local business includes hundreds of partners, including installers, and its systems carry a 10-year warranty and work with more than 30 mainstream virtual power plant programs.
