Solar & Storage Progress Magazine Autumn 2016

ISSN 2206-1673

Autumn 2016

• Renewables: Slam Dunk in 2018!

• Network complexities: self-defeating?

• The beauty and utility of solar combisystems • Investing in a clean future: divestment sweeps the globe

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THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE AUSTRALIAN SOLAR COUNCIL AND THE ENERGY STORAGE COUNCIL

Australian Solar Council Messages by CEO and Bruce Mountain Solar and Storage on Show 2016

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Solar Council: getting the message across 52 Corporate Members

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Contents

Market Dynamics News and views

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Australia’s 2015 solar tally at a glance

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Market trends and forecasts

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Special Features Network complexities

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Energy Storage Council developments

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Paris and beyond

by ESC President Steve Blume 22 Fusion Power Systems

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Octillion underpins smart designs

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David Suzuki’s vision of planet earth

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R&J’s move into storage

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Slam Dunk! Decentralised RE

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Investment and divestment for a super future

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Queensland government’s shining solar examples

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Apricus combisystems: ready for take off 40

Closing storage sales: hot tips

by Lliam Ricketts

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ABB Alex Kuhr’s dynamic market view

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ReneSola’s Derek Marsden

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Storage news and views

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Solar trailblazer: Monica Oliphant AO

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Fronius

Around the traps NEXTracker: the next big thing

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Building capacity: ARENA and CEFC

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ASM Money delivers the goods

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Superb sustainable systems: Yingli and Enphase shape the scene

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Global Solar Council Launch

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Industry events and notable quotes

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NZPSSC

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Front cover: Image courtesy Stephen Garrett of Pyramid Power Group in Pambula and Bega, NSW

Products and Services 54

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38 SOLAR & STORAGE is published by the AUSTRALIAN SOLAR COUNCIL. ABN 32 006 824 148 www.solar.org.au

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Subscription and membership enquiries contact Anna Washington, Phone: 0409 802 707, anna@solar.org.au

AUSTRALIAN SOLAR COUNCIL CEO John Grimes PO Box 231 Mawson ACT 2607 admin@solar.org.au Phone: 1300 768 204

Solar & Storage advertising enquiries contact: Brett Thompson, Sales Manager Phone: 0402 181 250 brett@solar.org.au

Storage Developments advertising and membership enquiries contact: Lorrae Ingham, Energy Storage Council Phone: 0411 407 514 lorrae@energystorage.org.au

SOLAR & STORAGE EDITOR: Nicola Card editor@solar.org.au nicola@solar.org.au CONTRIBUTORS: Steve Blume, Greg Ferrett, Lorrae Ingham, Axel Kuhr, Bruce Mountain, Tahlia Nolan, Penny Parle, Lliam Ricketts, Simon Sheikh.

DESIGN AND PRODUCTION: Mitzi Mann

Solar & Storage (Solar Progress) was first published in 1980. The magazine aims to provide readers with an in-depth review of technologies, policies and progress towards a society which sources energy from the sun rather than fossil fuels.

Except where specifically stated, the opinions and material published in this magazine are not necessarily those of the Australian Solar Council. Although every effort is made to check the authenticity and accuracy of articles, neither the Solar Council nor the editors are responsible for any inaccuracy.

Solar & Storage is published quarterly. www.solar.org.au

John Grimes Chief Executive, Australian Solar Council and Energy Storage Council AT THE START OF 2016 the opportunities have never been greater in the solar industry. Working in solar and storage day in and day out, it is easy to lose sight of the big picture. But it is worth standing back once in a while to see how far we have come.

The cost of solar PV is now a fraction of the cost of grid electricity, and prices continue to fall. There is no ‘push back’ from the public or

businesses. The only anti-solar lobby is the vested interest of big power companies and fossil fuel boosters. Ultimately they will not prevail.

The cowboys have come and (largely) gone. And storage is breaking through, making it possible to power our lives entirely from solar energy.

Politicians can no longer treat our sector as a plaything, turning on and off solar policies at their whim.

Globally solar is kicking goals, as whole communities across the developing world embrace solar as their first energy source. The massive markets of China, India and the US are all picking up solar speed.

What happens next? Solar only grows, becomes more inevitable, and gets fully normalised in our political and social structures.

In 2009, 2010, 2011 we used to get mad when policy makers dismissed solar out of hand. But at the end of the day the market didn’t care what the anti-solar energy bureaucrats, planners and politicians thought. The market simply blew them all away.

And in the future, history will judge the deniers harshly. It will ask “how could they possibly have gotten it so wrong?”

Guest Editorial MY FIRST JOB was in the Transmission Economics team of photo-electric effect, customers with access to the sun’s a large electricity company. My job was to crunch the rays have a much diminished need for the existing numbers when an industrial customer with its own industry. generation threatened to by-pass the grid by building a The same process that I saw all those years ago power line to connect their generation to a neighbouring is now being played out in the mass market. Again customer. governments are being lobbied to provide cover.

My employer lobbied the government to protect them But as with the industrial customer, the utilities are from this competitive threat. But in the industrial customer finding the solar sector is able to press its interests my employer had met their match and the government told effectively. And so, to greater or lesser degree, the my employer to negotiate. utilities are being told to negotiate.

This threat of bypass established a market price Not all utilities are affected to the same extent. for the network service. It was far below what But in some cases the gap between what the utility wanted it to be. But, obliged they want and what the market is to negotiate, there was nowhere to revealing they should get, is large. go: they had to meet the market.

And this gap will almost certainly They did not like this. It was grow larger as battery costs humiliating. decline. The competitive Luckily for them this threat is now pervasive and Bruce Mountain is the Director of consultancy Carbon Market Economics and situation was rare and the accelerating. the developer of the MarkIntell retail market web application rhythm of life quickly returned Change creates winners to the genteel world of setting tariffs for the 99.9 per cent of the market for which it had an undisputed monopoly.

I did not imagine that during my career this threat of bypass would become common. But such is the miracle (note to Bill Gates) of the

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and losers but taken in the round competition is something to celebrate enthusiastically. Government should ensure that market forces are left to take their course. They can also play an important part in facilitating the structural adjustments needed to smooth the way. Trying to hold back the tide will be, as always, futile.

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Local and global news Moree switches on The 56 MW Moree Solar Farm in NSW has started feeding solar energy into the National Electricity Market. Developed by Fotowatio Renewable Ventures the plant is touted Australia’s first utility scale single axis tracking and largest polycrystalline solar farm delivered on time and on budget. Full completion is due in April 2016.

CEFC’s Oliver Yates pointed out that the Moree Solar Farm also demonstrated how innovative merchant energy based financing can be used to finance large-scale renewable energy projects in Australia.

In the past six months alone more than 210 MW from ARENA-supported large-scale solar farms have started feeding into the grid.

On the world stage Spreading the word to millions of listeners newly crowned Best Actor Leonardo DiCaprio said “Climate change is real, it is happening right now [and] is the most urgent threat facing our entire species… we need to work collectively together and stop procrastinating, let’s not take this planet for granted.”

Cynics were quick to respond, pointing out Hollywood A listers’ use of private jets, extensive travel and lavish lifestyles. One reporter highlighted the Oscar winner’s trip by private plane from Sydney to LA with a bunch of buddies simply to welcome in the new year twice. Oops.

At least Leo had the support of the White House.

RE for renters Read all about RE Together with ARENA the Energy Networks Association has delivered an updated Integrating Renewables into the Grid Stocktake database of Australian and international renewable energy grid integration projects. It presents information on current projects and the outcomes of past efforts and facilitates

cooperation between the renewables and electricity network sectors.

Australia currently houses 1.5 million rooftop PV installations which collectively deliver more than 5000 MW (5 GW) of Australia’s total electricity generation capacity of 56 GW, around 9 per cent of generation capacity.

Sun rises in Western Australia The Solar Council staged a highly successful forum in Perth on March 4 to demonstrate the strength of support for solar energy in the state – and to send a signal to WA utility Synergy which was threatening a potential $800 solar connection fee until state Premier Colin Barnett stepped in and ruled it out.

Solar Council chief executive John Grimes said “Western Australians expect their politicians to lead the way when it comes to investing in smart energy solutions.”

Solar is proving rather popular in the state: 20 per cent of homes have rooftop PV and Curtin University Sustainability Professor

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Peter Newman commented “We are in the extraordinary position of saying that Perth now has rooftop solar as the largest supplier of electricity, it’s the biggest power station in WA … it’s nearly 500 megawatts and it’s growing rapidly, by 2020 we could have half of Perth’s households with rooftop solar.”

In early March WA’s Energy Minister officially launched the state’s largest solar rooftop project – a 312 kW system – at Broadway Fair Shopping Centre in Crawley which sits on the fringe of Kings Park. Meanwhile Perth-based Sun Brilliance is

Late last year Australian tech startup Matter launched Digital Solar technology that will enable landlords to install and run solar panels like a micro-utility, earning five times the cost of installation while shaving off an average 20 per cent of tenants’ energy bills.

With one in three Australian households living in rented accommodation the technology offers enormous potential to create a “solar shared economy in the future, much like Airbnb or Uber” says Matter CEO Chris Mrakas. “Our mission is to empower millions of people who want to adopt sustainable energy but currently don’t have the option.”

proposing a $42 million 25 MW solar plant on the outskirts of the city and has already secured an agreement for a 25-year power purchase agreement from Community Electricity. On completion the plant would become the nation’s largest solar plant without ARENA subsidies.

Local and global news Cycle for Solar

Show of support for CSIRO

Melbourne Girls’ College, whose 33 kWh solar PV system designed by installer Living Energy Solutions uses Enphase microinverters, last year picked up the US$100,000 Zayed Future Energy Prize as a global leader in sustainability.

The college now seeks donations to fund an additional 67 kWh of solar power.

Almost 3000 scientists from 60 countries have signed an open letter highlighting the threat to cut more than 100 jobs from CSIRO agency’s climate science cuts that would seriously diminish the global climate change research effort.

The Climate Council’s Will Steffen says cutting climate science now is like “flying into a violent storm and ripping out the radar, navigation and communication instruments”.

“Without committing to the continued development of next generation climate monitoring and climate modelling, billions of public investment dollars for long term infrastructure will be based on guesswork rather

More than 200 students pedalled for up to 10 hours in groups of four on stationary bicycles to power up the school’s annual carbon neutral, human powered cinema.

Hey big numbers Making a difference Bloomberg New Energy Finance reported global spending on rooftop and other small-scale solar projects totaled US$67.4bn in 2015, up 12% on the previous year, with Japan by far the biggest market, followed by the US and China.

Global clean energy investment 2004-15:

Solar and water in a package SOLVATTEN is a nifty combined portable water-purification and solar water heater system designed for those in the developing world without access to clean or warm water.

Looking a bit like a jerry-can-meets-briefcase it’s made from durable plastic materials and requires no batteries, chemicals or spare parts and has an average lifespan of seven to ten years.

$61.9bn in 2004 $88bn in 2005 $128.3bn in 2006 $174.9bn in 2007 $205.6bn in 2008 $207.3bn in 2009 $273.7bn in 2010 $318.3bn in 2011 $297bn in 2012 $271.9bn in 2013 $315.9bn in 2014 $328.9bn in 2015 Source: Bloomberg New Energy Finance.

All amounts $US.

Solar & Storage is printed by Printgraphics whose green credentials include:

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than on strategic and informed science-driven policy.”

More information: Climate Council report, Flying Blind: Navigating Climate Change without the CSIRO

In January DIF Infrastructure IV announced the 100 per cent acquisition of the 20 MW Royalla solar PV power plant from Fotowatio Renewable Ventures.

With approximately €3.2 billion under management, DIF invests in high-quality infrastructure assets that generate long-term, stable cash flows, including renewable energy projects. Royalla was “an obvious choice” for DIF’s first investment in Australia “because it is a high quality solar PV power project that will generate long-term cash flows and stable returns”.

Daimler’s lithium-ion battery factory Another big name is moving into the battery market: German carmaker Daimler’s battery subsidiary starts construction of a new €500 million (AU$746 million) lithium-ion battery manufacturing facility in southeastern Germany later this year. The Deutsche ACCUmotive factory will produce batteries for electric and hybrid Mercedes-Benz and smart cars, along with a 2.5 kWh and a 5.9 kWh battery unit for residential customers which can be combined to form a 20 kWh storage system.

Network gambles

Power play The current state of play between power networks and renewables could be summed ‘them and us’. Barriers put up to protect the traditional model rather than accommodate the inevitable transition to 100 per cent clean energy. Can mutual ground be found for a cooperative way forward?

ROLLING WITH THE PUNCHES, that’s the way it is today in the energy sector. The electricity networks appear to be caught off guard, having overestimated demand and over-invested in infrastructure to deliver one of the world’s most costly grids. Now they are scrambling to restructure pricing schemes and in the process are targeting solar users, while failing to factor in the much-anticipated surge toward storage that will further erode profits. Predicament plus.

Yes, some consumption charges may be on their way down but the accrued ‘losses’ are being more than compensated by higher fixed daily charges which among others impact solar households. The portion of the bill allotted to fixed charges is set to increase by as much as $450 annually in NSW and Queensland. Business consumers in Queensland and South Australia are being hit with steeper fixed charges while consumption charges have been slashed to just 3.3c/kWh. The oft quoted “death spiral” faced by utilities having to source greater revenues from a shrinking customer base is ironically driven in part by the price rises. Simple reasoning – faced with the prospect of ever increasing electricity prices more homeowners want to install solar (and later on battery storage) systems and be masters of their own power bills.

Counterbalances Electricity network operators lobby group the Energy Networks Association is calling for compulsory connection fees for all homes

“People who have made the sensible decision to invest in clean, abundant energy should not be penalised.”

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and businesses whether or not they are connected to the grid and – wham! – penalties for those who choose to disconnect.

All in a misguided attempt to stem the exodus from the grid.

“A good example of the thinking that will lead to the utilities death spiral is provided by a senior network executive comment to me that: ”If the grid passes in front of a persons property they should be charged for it whether they are connected or not,” said Solar Council chief executive John Grimes.

Case studies: Targeting and taxing renewable energy Power networks have recently ramped up efforts to recoup revenues, but rarely have they succeeded.

In January, Queensland utility Energex – which last year increased its supply charge from 91c/day to $1.28/day – proposed removing the 44 cent feed-in tariff that 265,000 solar system owners in Queensland have been enjoying if they add batteries to their existing system. Then the Productivity Commission proposed retrospectively reducing the feed-in tariff.

John Grimes was pleased to report that rationality prevailed and was quickly delivered, saying: “It took the Queensland Treasurer just one hour to speak to parliament and to rule that out.”

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Network gambles Continued from page 8

SA: Tax the sun!

Last year electricity distributor SA Power Networks planned a $100 tariff on homes with solar panels on the basis they had “different energy consumption patterns and are effectively subsidised by houses without panels …” arguing they wanted “fair and equitable cost-sharing among customers”.

When the Australian Energy Regulator rejected the proposed charge, SA Power took the matter to the Federal Court where it was dismissed.

Justice John Mansfield declared: “If the cost requires a greater proportion of network charges the motivation for solar will reduce, it’s simple arithmetic.”

For her part Kristen Walker, QC for the AER, argued the regulator’s decision to reject the solar pricing proposal was based on a view that the tariff would discriminate against solar households, and that was against the rules.

One rather significant victory.

WA: Them and us In Western Australia the uptake of rooftop solar panels is growing apace – up to 30 per cent a year as households attempt to fend off rising power prices. WA’s residential network now boasts around 191,000 solar PV systems and each month 1,600 systems are added, with solar PV accounting for 9.3 per cent of total energy production on the South West grid.

But once again PV has become a target, with WA’s monopoly power company, Synergy declaring the current pricing structure, in which WA consumers are charged 25 cents per kilowatt per hour regardless of the time of day, flawed.

The plan – which is now history – was to introduce differential power pricing, with big energy and PV users to be billed through the roof. Solar

months and years as utilities across the country seek to “redress the balance sheet” rather than welcome clean energy to the fold. For that reason the Solar Council has launched a far-reaching, forward thinking, campaign strategy (see page 52, Solar advocacy).

Key message “The fact is business as usual cannot continue. There is an inherent conflict of interest between networks and solar PV; they lose money when more people install their own power, solar systems. But the networks are the judge and jury when it comes to grid connections. This is what we need to address,” John Grimes stated.

“When utilities sell to solar customers there is a mismatch because they have a relationship with them and they can use their market advantage, but they have developed a monopoly arrangement and that is a concern.

“Ultimately they should not be frightened of solar; we are going to need a grid in the future it just needs to be a different grid to the one we have today. Today’s grid is about pushing energy in one direction – from in to out – whereas the grid of the future needs to be bi-directional. The smart grid is the grid of the future where energy is traded across the grid,” he explained.

“Storage could be a huge benefit to the networks as it will help fix the peak demand problem. If that were not the case the utilities would have to invest countless millions in infrastructure to shave off the peaks.

Batteries and storage technology present huge advantages all round.”

John Grimes also highlighted the need to put consumers first and at the centre of energy market to prevent resentment and further backlash. “We need to recalibrate otherwise the opportunity for disruption is significant,” he warned. “If networks transform their business models then they have a really bright future. If instead they try and stop solar they will exacerbate the situation and more people will seek alternative solutions.”

homes’ annual charges would have catapulted from around $820 to

Putting things in perspective

$1666. A devilish plan conjured up from rubbery subsidy figures and one

Prominent renewables scientist Monica Oliphant identifies today’s challenge as simply not knowing the shape of the utility of the future.

“Many here and overseas are dealing with how they are going to deal with all these intermittent renewables. The key question is how is distributed generation going to he dealt with,” she told Solar & Storage.

ABB’s Axel Kuhr concurs, stating: “The harsh reality for Australia is that the previous model is no longer viable. Electricity demand from industrial, commercial and residential consumers in Australia is declining. The cost of maintaining transmission and distribution networks and the need for more flexible base load power generation assets, along with increased energy storage to improve the utilisation of intermittent power sources – as well as provide grid stabilisation – is forcing a change in the traditional model.” He believes energy suppliers and utility companies understand this scenario, and the more innovative are embracing the change as a new business opportunity.

As to the bigger picture Kuhr says: “We think of renewable energy, energy storage and microgrids as enabling technologies. Solutions which enable Australia to transition from a high carbon intensive power generation sector, reliant on an ageing fleet of thermal power stations, to a model where energy consumers have many more options on how and when they use electricity, and who they rely on for supply.”

that would have pocketed Synergy $160 million.

“This is a travesty of justice, hurting families who just want to reduce their power bills,” John Grimes said at the time. “Solar family taxes are being pushed right across Australia. Enough is enough. It’s time to fight back.”

Curtin University Professor of Sustainability Peter Newman was also vocal in his condemnation, publicly stating “Solar is the future and it’s like Synergy is fighting that trend … instead they should join the solar movement and start leasing panels and battery systems.

“If you have solar and storage batteries, then you don’t have to provide as much during peak period which is the expensive stuff for Synergy. They need to be more fair. Synergy is not providing people with options to help them manage their usage during peak periods. [Solar is] a segment that will continue to grow.”

Mercifully, the Synergy solar battle was short lived, with WA Premier Colin Barnett stepping in and ruling out Synergy’s biased proposition.

Yet another victory for commonsense that the Solar Council warmly welcomed.

Putting out spot fires seems to be today’s game, but it’s no laughing matter. Proposals to tax renewables are likely to crop up in coming

“The solar pricing proposal was based on a view that the tariff would discriminate against solar households, and that was against the rules.” QC for AER 10 | ISSUE 1 • 2016

Putting the planet first Dr David Suzuki recently toured Australia presenting a series of public addresses.

Following is an abridged version of an ABC radio interview.

DAVID SUZUKI who is one of the most vocal campaigners for the protection of the planet and its species says “To me the tragedy is we forget what got us out of Africa 150,000 years ago … our advantage was the brain to create the idea of a future … to acquire knowledge and project [repercussions]. Foresight was our great advantage and brought us out of the plains to dominate the world.

“But today we think the economy comes before the climate and the laws of nature. As Al Gore says, the Chinese symbol for crisis is [both] danger and opportunity. The 2008 financial meltdown was an opportunity – boom and bust – that humans created. But we have elevated the economy so high we obliterated any thought of changing the system.”

Here he alluded to the massive support afforded to the banks, auto sector and others.

“Einstein said the definition of insanity was doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. We have to ground the economy in the real world and we are treating fresh air as though it were free.

“But listen to the outrage that follows when there is talk of putting a price on carbon!

“First nations and Aboriginal people say the three sacred elements that keep us alive are air, water and soil. We [humans] are very much part of the environment, we need to regulate our interaction and minimise waste.”

Suzuki explained the widespread repercussions of DDT and phenomenon of biomagnification whereby tiny particles impact on a massive scale of destruction much further up the food chain. He also

“Key to this is converting our electricity to a renewable energy source. It can be done in Australia at a cost of $37 billion a year over just ten years, but can you imagine a politician saying ‘we have to tax you’? Our actions today will reverberate much more on children and grandkids than old folks but politicians don’t consider future generations, they focus on voters and kids don’t vote.”

addressed the likelihood of a pandemic, consequences of squeezing animals into closer proximity due to forest clearing; and the planet’s inability to sustain seven billion people and continued growth and called for a “Radical restructure and reorder of the way we live and the economic systems in place.

“Politicians have short terms and agendas and worry about the next election [and campaign messages] but it takes decades to implement a proper restructure. Key to this is converting our electricity to a renewable energy source. It can be done in Australia at a cost of $37 billion a year over just ten years, but can you imagine a politician saying ‘we have to tax you’?

“Our actions today will reverberate much more on children and grandkids than old folks but politicians don’t consider future generations, they focus on voters and kids don’t vote.”

Suzuki discussed increasing occurrences of severe weather events – hurricanes cyclones floods droughts fires – highlighting that climate change was real, and a real threat.

Once referred to as “natural disasters” they are now caused by humans and the warming climate.

“Very, very few scientists now deny the reality of human caused climate change impact of humans.”

He referred to ‘intergenerational crime’ in the name of profit and suggested certain ‘influencers’ should be held up for criminal negligence “At the time of my death I want to say I did the best,” he concluded.

Read more about David Suzuki and his support for AllGrid Energy on page 34.

Solar & Storage | 11

Decentralised energy

Energy storage and renewables: Slam Dunk in 2018!

Bruce Mountain of Carbon Market Economics reviews the dynamics that are influencing the rise of storage applications and the impact of decentralised renewable energy on greenhouse gas abatement. Ingenuity and innovation which form part of the rich mix, he says, are pivotal to developments.

RENEWABLE ENERGY is beginning to cause ripples within a sea of opportunity. Now with a surge of support from storage applications, renewables sit on the crest of a wave – one that is firmly on the radar of carbon market economist Bruce Mountain.

Speaking from a well-informed market view Bruce declares all signals point to “slam dunk” in 2018 for energy storage and renewables in Australia with the much-anticipated and significant shift by the community to cleaner, localised supplies.

The underlying reasons are spelt out in his comprehensive report Decentralised Renewable Energy which he recently presented to a gathering where he stated “Australian consumers pay the highest fixed charges; coming in at around 30 per cent of the household energy bill they are around three times that of the US. In the UK just 5 per cent of the electricity bill is taken up by network fees … various tariffs need to be factored in but this provides an indication of the contrasts.

“Consider too that the cheapest energy you will buy from utilities is 17 cents per kW hour, 28 cents per kWh is more common with prices varying by time-of-day usage – and compare that with the price of solar PV which comes in at a very reasonable 6 cents per kWh. “Little wonder then that all surveys highlight the antipathy – even antagonism – toward utilities,” says Bruce who five years ago accurately forecast the rapid uptake of PV; his bullish projections out by just a fraction. These days he is charting the impact of batteries on the

DRE unplugged Decentralised Renewable Energy – DRE – is the production of energy (electricity, water or space heating or cooling) at or close to the point of its use. Rooftop PV which currently dominates distributed renewable electricity production is driven by (rising) electricity prices coupled with the decline in PV capital costs and aided by upfront capital subsidies in the form of federal rebates and the RET and state efficiency targets. Solar water heaters dominate distributed heat production principally for the purposes of water heating.

Air-source heat pumps (not strictly renewable) that leverage ambient conditions are now widely used for space conditioning (heating and cooling) and water heating. In water heating applications, air source heat pumps are included in the small scale certificate scheme.

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Figure 1. Grid-connected battery storage ‘commissioned’ (Lead Acid: 132 MW; Lithium ion: 340 MW; Flow: 36 MW; Sodium-based: 147 MW) energy mix and has great expectations. “Especially in an era in which opportunities surrounding emerging storage technologies and applications reveal fantastic ingenuity.”

And energy storage makes sense on all fronts says Bruce who lists the attributes in residential and small business applications. “It’s on the premises, it’s controllable, small, very flexible, scalable, it’s not taxed, and at other localised levels the great advantage is that it is very responsive, can instantaneously cycle up or down, it’s small, does not incur emissions when used, it’s unobtrusive, easy to move, flexible and again scalable.”

What’s not to like?

Battery power Back in 2000 global grid connected battery storage was negligible however, as revealed in Figure 1 storage has undergone a meteoric rise with lithium ion leading the charge. But it’s the tip of the iceberg.

The magnitude of anticipated rises in distributed energy (PV and storage) to 2040 are best highlighted in Figure 2 based on BNEF forecasts.

Factor in forecasts suggesting Australian jurisdictions will have PV penetration in excess of 50 per cent by 2020, the winding back of feed-in

Potential DRE GHG impact by 2035 • C alculations based on % market available to DRE and estimates of GHG from alternatives (grid and gas): PV, SWH and fuel switching.

• W e estimate the fuel switching potential from gas to efficient electric, estimate the DRE potential and calculate the reduction in emissions • P V = 28 GW (BNEF forecast) producing 37 TWh p.a. @ 0.97 kg CO2-e/kWh = 36 mT CO2-e by 2034/35 • S WH = 3 million installations (our guess) avoiding 6.4 TWh p.a. @ 0.97 kg CO2-e/kWh = 6.2mt CO2-e by 2034/34 • F uel switching (gas to electric): R&C @ 180 PJ p.a. = 9.2 mT currently. If convert to electricity GHG = 9.7 mtpa. If we assume 50% DRE then emission reduction potential = ~ 4.3 mtpa.

Figure 2. Forecast cumulative distributed capacity. 2015-40.

• I n total DRE has potential to reduce emissions by ~ 47 mtpa by 2035 = 30% of current electricity GHG.

tariffs with most phased out by 2028 or earlier (see Figure 3), the prospect of fuel switching from gas to efficient electric and consumer willingness to pay for “local & renewable” and the stage is set for widespread adoption of renewables.

Not all will benefit. Decentralised RE will trigger loss of market share for grid connected generators; modelling suggests a decline of 30 per cent on the 2014 electricity market, and DRE will inevitably produce negative value for companies dependent on a centralised market. Widespread uptake of batteries will diminish the value of flexible generation.

The rise of decentralised RE will present competitive pressure to network service providers; networks provide valuable ability to diversity risk and security of supply. For major power users DRE has limited application (at present). But network monopoly pricing power will weaken and the ability to fend off competition by changing tariff structures is in question.

For retailer-generators the surge of decentralised RE undermines the ability to extract profit from centralised production. They will need to reposition businesses to provide services and products in a market in which many customers are able to do it themselves.

The uptake of decentralised RE uptake will present competitive pressure to grid-supplied electricity. This will detrimentally affect prices received by incumbent coal/gas producers as well as prices received by potential new entrant renewables.

According to Bruce Mountain the grid is now not worth the cost it was before because there are low cost viable alternatives. Fixed costs are stranded, and worn by shareholders. A good example can be found in the devaluations of Shell, Esso and BP and AGL’s recent write-offs in gas assets.

And let’s not forget the big picture.

“Environmental advocacy that is economically well founded will provide the basis for a sensible approach to a resolution of conflicting interests between distributed and centralised renewable energy.”

Figure 3. Residential PV penetration. 2014-20.

GHG impacts of PV and SWH • P V (in 2014) = 4.2 GW producing circa 6 TWh p.a. @ 0.97 kg CO2-e/kWh = 5.8 mT CO2-e • S WH (in 2014) = 953,623 installations avoiding 2 TWh p.a. @ 0.97 kg CO2-e/kWh = 1.9 mT CO2-e • T otal circa 7.7 mtpa CO2-e equivalent avoided, circa 5% of current electricity GHG emissions.

When more is less Importantly, decentralised RE presents significant opportunity for greenhouse gas reduction. Available technologies such as PV and air-source heat pumps have many attractive properties and impressive “cradle-tograve” GHG profile.

The economics of Decentralised RE are compelling, even in the absence of an emission price. As such, DRE presents opportunity for greenhouse gas abatement even in context of weak emission reduction policies. Significant greenhouse gas reduction (of the order needed to meet climate goals) will require both DRE and large scale renewable replacement of coal-fired generation.

Ever the pragmatist, Bruce concluded: “Environmental advocacy that is economically well founded will provide the basis for a sensible approach to resolution of conflicting interests between distributed and centralised RE.” www.carbonmarkets.com.au Decentralised Renewable Energy: current outcomes, possible futures and environmental impact was commissioned by the Australian Conservation Foundation.

Solar & Storage | 13

Renewables stats and wraps … and it’s mostly good news UPDATE DOWNUNDER Australia in 2015 dded 713 MW of small-scale rooftop solar (=144,667 new A systems) spending $2.2 billion.

Rated 5th globally in small-scale solar installations Market leader Queensland installed 195 MW of rooftop solar. ommercial solar (>10 kW) boosted share, with 159 MW C installations.

Australia now boasts 23.2 million solar panels.

Source: GET and Bloomberg New Energy Finance

Unwelcome rises in AUSTRALIA, 2015 Up 2% Greenhouse emissions Up 1.1% NEM power consumption Up 2,142 GWh electricity consumption Up 4.7% Black coal generation; brown coal rose by 2.6%

Mitigated by …

S olar and energy efficiency (contributing 1,712 GWh) accounting for 1% reduction in consumption Renewables market share rise to 12.2%, previously 11.8 % Source: Ric Brazzale of GET, Green Market Insight based on AEMO data provided through NEM-Review.

IRENA says …

A 36% share of renewable energy in the global mix by 2030 would boost GDP by 1.1% and global welfare (social and environmental benefits) by 3.7%.

Employment in RE sector would rise from 9.2 million jobs to 24+ million by 2030.

Source: International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)

SMASHING RECORDS in 2015 Globally 57 GW of solar PV and

64 GW of wind was commissioned during the year; an increase c.30% over 2014.

Clean energy investment surged to

world high $328.9bn, up 4% from $315.9bn in 2014.

VC and PE investors pumped $5.6bn into clean energy firms, up 17% on 2014 total. (Note peak of $12.2bn in 2008.)

$20bn of asset finance flowed to

clean energy technologies (smart grid and utility-scale battery storage); 11% rise on 2014.

China increased clean energy

investments by 17% to $110.5bn US was up 8% investing $56bn In Europe UK led the pack with investment up 24% to $23.4bn India gained 23% to $10.9bn Japan’s investment rose 3% to $43.6bn and Australia edged up 16% to $2.9bn Source: Bloomberg New Energy Finance All amounts $US.

Over in the US of A The solar workforce rose 20% in 2015; adding 35,052 jobs bringing total to 208,859; 77% more than coal mining industry.

Source: US Solar Foundation annual Solar Jobs Census

Right on track NEXTracker says Australia’s high irradiance presents one of the best opportunities for expanding solar systems, and the US based company is now delivering its advanced trackers to help Australia meet its growing clean power needs.

AUSTRALIA’S HIGH IRRADIANCE provides a tremendous opportunity for

clay – stabilising the tracker foundations as the clay sets around the piers.

expanding clean reliable solar power deployment, in both on- and off-grid

NEXTracker’s mechanically balanced design and optimised components

projects. With its abundance of sunshine and wide-open plains, the land

used less steel and required up to 33 per cent fewer piers, reducing the

‘Down Under’ has the potential to make solar ubiquitous, powering the

number of these vital yet costly components. Siting grading and grounding

nation’s homes, businesses and governmental facilities. To date, Australia

were minimised. With no row linkages to further complicate the anchoring

has deployed 5 GW of solar, representing 9 per cent of the country’s total

of the foundations, NEXTracker’s independent row architecture and long

electricity generation capacity of 56 GW.* With several utility-scale solar

span between piers resulted in an agile mechanical system that withstands

farms in early stages of development and likely to be commissioned in

the challenges posed by shifting clay.

2017 Australia is well on its way to realising its clean energy goals.

NEXTracker, designer of an advanced tracker, recognised the vast potential for incorporating its NX Horizon™ single axis tracker in Australia’s ground-mounted utility and commercial PV projects. Leveraging smart

This streamlined design enabled Elecnor to overcome the challenges of working with dynamic soil, deploying Australia’s largest solar tracking system in difficult terrain. And it facilitates faster cleaning and maintenance.

engineering and decades of solar expertise, NEXTracker has honed state-

Angling for advantage

of-the-art innovations in solar tracking. Trackers orient solar panels with

Additionally, the NEXTracker system realises a ±15° advantage over

the sun, increasing a solar farm’s energy yield. They’re an optimal fit for

others, allowing for a 120° tracking trajectory that fully soaks in the

Australia, as they provide myriad benefits to help meet growing electricity

275 W/m2 of solar irradiance beaming down on this desert region. These

needs while overcoming challenges presented by terrain.

optimisations result in a more efficient drive system that effortlessly

Incorporating NEXTracker in PV power plants helps Australian project developers maximise electrical generation and profits. A stellar example of large-scale solar deployment in Australia is the recently commissioned Moree Solar Farm, developed by FRV and built by Elecnor using NEXTracker’s NX Horizon self-powered trackers.

The 56 MW plant produces enough electricity to power the equivalent

powers an entire row.

The combination of high irradiance and powerful tracking technology greatly reduced total cost of labour and materials.

Gaining a foothold in Australia This year, NEXTracker is increasing its presence in Australia, and has

of 15,000 homes and thanks to NEXTracker’s expansive arc, the full solar

already opened a full-service sales and operations office in New South

potential of the region is being optimised. The plant avoids more than

Wales. NEXTracker’s ability to help Australia construct clean power plants

95,000 tons of CO2 emissions annually and saves 165,000 mega litres

will help the region realise its full potential.

of clean drinking water compared to the operation of a coal-fired power station.**

Adapting to clay

The successful development of Moree Solar Farm and future NEXTrackerequipped solar power projects promises to accelerate the growth of Australia’s clean energy economy.

NEXTracker provides solutions for commercial, industrial and utility-scale

As Moree was being developed, array design and installation were viewed

solar power systems, with over 100 MW per week of current shipments.

as the most costly components of the project. This was because the heavy,

www.nextracker.org.us

cracked clay found in the floodplains of Australia’s Mehi River required tailor-made foundations to address the clay’s extremes of expansion and contraction. The challenges of a complicated foundation installation and the realities of project economics were met by NEXTracker.

The unique solar pier foundation (using NEXTracker in conjunction with Blade Pile’s geodynamic design) addressed the challenges posed by shifting

* http://sunwiz.com.au/index.php/2012-06-26-00-47-40/402-australiansolar-power-installations-hit-5gw.html **http://www.moreesolarfarm.com.au/Project.htm Visit the NEXTracker booth at the Solar Energy Conference and Expo at the MCEC in early May (see pages 16 & 17).

Solar & Storage | 15

The Solar Energy Exhibition and Conference Wednesday May 4 and Thursday May 5, 2016 Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre Presented by the Australian Solar Council and the Energy Storage Council EXPO: On show will be the latest solar and energy storage products and services from more than 80 major industry suppliers.

THREE SEMINAR STREAMS: Professional Development, Energy Storage, Industry and Policy.

PEOPLE, PROJECTS AND PRODUCTS: More than 4000 interested parties will attend the two-day event which attracts delegates and exhibitors from across Australia, China, Japan, India, the US and Europe.

Special Master Classes for dedicated professionals are being staged at the MCEC all day on Tuesday May 3

Stay current in solar and storage developments: 4 Look at the latest in innovation 4 Learn about new products and services 4 Listen to industry leaders and regulators The next boom industry:

For the convenience of delegates the Expo floor is adjacent to the conference sessions

Solar, storage and energy management systems are poised to revolutionise our electricity sector.

This event showcases the corporate leaders in this field. The premier industry event attracts commercial and residential PV installers, largescale developers, technicians, battery and other storage experts, trading certificate agencies, policy makers, bureaucrats, builders, architects, consultants, academics, the media and more.

“We are on the crest of an unstoppable wave, a technological wave that will link renewable energy, batteries, and smart energy systems. For the first time consumers, and not power companies will be at the heart of the energy system.

The electricity sector is poised to be transformed, and this industry will be the big winner. In the process electricians will find themselves at the heart of this change. It is vital you stay ahead of the curve to profit from this amazing business opportunity.

John Grimes, CEO, Australian Solar Council

Solar on Show EE R F O T ND TE T A

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We d t l b o o Th nes u d ur n e rsd ay 4 C o ay M n v 5 M ay en 2 t i o ay 2 01 6 n a n 016 at 8 d E x at 5 :30 h i :00 am bi pm ti on

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Solar Energy Exhibition & Conference 2016, the 54th annual

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Australian Solar Council industry conference and exhibition is a showcase of the people, projects and products that are driving solar and storage to new heights of innovation and excellence.

On the Expo floor: Solar panel manufacturers • Inverter makers • Solar powered hot water, heating and air conditioning • Solar trackers and racking • Environmental certificate agencies • Solar accessories and appliances, product marketers and importers • Regulators • LED lighting and other energy efficient products

Industry and Policy (Conference) Market Intelligence: Researchers, Analysts, University Professors, Policy Makers and Industry Ministers will present their news, views and unique insights. Residential, commercial and large scale solar – what’s in store?

Professional Development, Installer Best Practice: Update your knowledge and skills and gain PD points. This popular segment is presented by highly acclaimed industry trainers and experts.

Among the top line-up of speakers: John Hewson, Ric Brazzale, Tim Buckley, Finn Peacock and more Want to know more or to exhibit? Contact Sharon Oliver on 0418 202 870, sharon@solar.org.au

Energy Storage, energy independence…

Business blossoms

Showfloor and in the neighboring conference hall:

Technology that is transforming the sector • The benefits of battery power in all its forms • The mighty potential of energy storage • From micro to macro: fascinating storage case studies from near and afar • Trends and developments in storage locally and globally • Data scoping the rise and rise of storage uptake • Brave new world: Expert analysis and projections for the decades ahead

Can you afford to miss this all-encompassing, knowledge-building event?

Networking a-plenty: The chance to meet and greet fellow industry experts and discuss storage advances

and collaborations.

Want to know more or to exhibit?

Contact Lorrae Ingham on 0411 407 514, lorrae@energystorage.org.au, www.energystorage.org.au ASC and ESC are not for profit organisations that return all benefits to the industry. By supporting this event you are supporting the industry and its advocates who continuously strive to advance the interests of all involved in the solar and storage sector.

Principal media partner:

Solar Energy Exhibition & Conference 2016 is proudly sponsored by:

REGISTER NOW at www.solarexpo.com.au

ARENA and CEFC

Great aspirations – ARENA and CEFC landscape the energy future Large-scale just got bigger …

FROM THE 77 ELIGIBLE EOIs RECEIVED, ARENA has short-listed 22 ‘high merit’ projects to progress to the next stage of its $100 million largescale solar PV competitive round. The full application stage with submissions is due by 15 June 2016.

The projects, all in mainland states, have a total capacity of 766 MW. Each was able to demonstrate its cost of energy was below the threshold of $135 per MWh, with some projecting costs significantly below this level.

More than three times the amount of funding available through the ARENA competitive round has been requested for the 22 projects, with an ask of approximately $332 million for projects totalling $1.68 billion.

The largest on the list by far is Origin Energy’s proposed 106.8 MW Darling Downs solar farm.

Next on the list is the 52.8 MW Gannawarra solar farm and also in Victoria the proposed 51.2 MW Syncline Energy Bannerton plant. The next three, all at 50 MW, are in Queensland.

ARENA’s Ivor Frischknecht says the projects will help move large-scale solar costs in Australia further down the cost curve, potentially to less than $100 per MWh by 2020.

A number of those short-listed are seeking project finance from the CEFC under its $250 million large-scale solar program which complements ARENA’s program but also supports other solar projects and programs with loan requirements of $15 million or more, targeted at unlocking additional private sector investment in the large-scale solar sector.

45 per cent renewables via its innovative off-grid power system; 600 kW of new solar PV will be integrated with the existing 600 kW wind turbine and diesel generators by adopting the advanced control systems developed during the King Island Renewable Energy Integration Project.

The project is due for completion in March 2017.

Mojo’s game-changer ARENA and SBCVC have backed a $5 million Southern Cross Renewable Energy Fund investment into Australia’s Mojo Power, the world’s first energy retailer which – rather than relying on selling more power for more profit – supplies electricity to customers at cost while charging a fixed monthly fee. This enables Mojo to unlock cheaper energy bills by offering solar, storage and energy efficiency.

In case you missed it …

ARENA is providing up to $892,000 in support to CSIRO to develop and apply guidelines for assessing the performance of perovskite solar cells, which are potentially a cheaper competitor to traditional silicon cells with comparable efficiency and adaptability. The three year $2.4 million project is due for completion in November 2018.

Local councils Australian councils are being encouraged to invest in clean technologies

Sunshine state

to reduce energy bills and lower emissions, through a new $250 million

ARENA is providing $22.8 million support towards the construction of Barcaldine Regional Community Solar Farm, a 20 MW AC (25 MW DC) single axis tracking solar plant. Battery storage for additional network benefits will be explored and enable the solar plant to work in tandem with the existing gas plant during a line outage, operating as an ‘island’ network independent to the main grid. CEFC committed $20 million to the $69 million project due for completion in April 2017.

long-term finance. CEFC’s Paul McCartney says given today’s low interest

Rottnest renewables ARENA is providing $4.8 million support for Hydro Tasmania to supply WA’s Rottnest Island with

18 | ISSUE 1 • 2016

CEFC program designed to provide flexible and competitive fixed-rate, rates, now is the time for councils to act to reduce energy costs and lock in long-term benefits of energy efficiency.

Uni Melb CEFC is lending up to $9.1 million to the University of Melbourne to finance emissions and cost-saving initiatives that will enable the university to accelerate its implementation of innovative energy efficient and renewable energy technologies, including voltage optimisation, freezer upgrades, solar PV, solar thermal and micro-turbines.

• Paris talks and beyond: where to from here • Closing sales on storage: tips from a master • Queensland’s shining solar agenda • R&J Batteries fast carves a presence • Fusion Power Systems market ambitions • Insights into Octillion Power Systems And more news, interviews and updates

Photo courtesy Peter Libretto of Enertech Solar

Founding members

IN LATE 2015 THE ENERGY STORAGE COUNCIL released a schedule of educational events to ensure the energy storage industry has the latest technical, market and economic information for this rapidly growing sector.

In December 2015 the ESC in partnership with the Solar Council presented a series of informative energy storage training sessions presented by Supply Partners followed by early evening networking events across Australia. More details on the storage sales training session can be found on page 33.

On 17 February 2016, the ESC hosted the inaugural Queensland Energy Storage Summit. There, Queensland

Platinum members

Gold members

Energy Minister Mark Bailey charted the State’s research & development, innovation, key industry projects and investment opportunities in the energy storage industry.

The Summit brought together 120 delegates Queensland Energy Minister including Australia’s leading Mark Bailey speaks at the inaugural Queensland Energy energy storage companies, Storage Summit government, industry experts and researchers to show how Queensland is leading the way in energy storage. More details can be found on page 30.

On March 16 at Parliament House, Canberra, the ESC is hosting an information session for MPs, Senators and Advisers on the energy storage industry. The event will include a speakers program, opportunity for discussion and a showcase of energy storage products by ESC members.

And on May 4 and 5 the ESC hosts its second Annual Energy Storage Council Conference alongside the Solar Energy Conference & Exhibition in Melbourne.

Silver members

The 2016 Conference is free-to-attend and will again bring together leading industry experts, policymakers and innovators. In 2015 more than 1500 delegates registered to attend the energy storage conference. With rapid exhibition growth, and more conference presentations in 2016, this is the industry event not to be missed!

The expanded energy storage exhibition zone is packed with quality and innovative displays from both Australian and international companies.

The conference program is designed to present delegates a full overview of the current state of energy storage in Australia and globally. With more than 40 speakers the program focuses on market developments and trends, technology integration, policy and regulation, industry case studies and more interactive panel sessions in 2016.

All upcoming energy storage events can be found at www.energystorage.org.au

20 | ISSUE 1 • 2016

Bronze members Amplitude Consultants Pty Ltd BALM Electrical B&R Enclosures Pty Ltd Cola Solar Crystal Solar Energy CSA Services DPA Solar Dynamic Solar Energy Invest Australia

Enervision Australia EV Power Australia global-roam Pty Ltd Green Sun Solar Greenlink Solar I Want Energy Infinity Power K&L Gates Liberty Energy Lithium Battery Storage

MyPower MP Natural Solar Navitus Solar Off Grid Power Solutions QGE Pty Ltd Renewable Energy Installations Reposit Power Solar PV Commercial SolarIM

SolarQuotes Standard Solar Sunjuice Solar The Green House Effect Towards Tomorrow Energy Tranter Engineering Tropical Energy Solutions

Velocity Energy Wayne Kaufline ZAPD Energy Zest Energy

More than half your yearly diesel fits in this box.

Diesel delivered to site is pricey stuff.

After 18 months on a diesel-powered site, our UltraFlex energy storage solution (like the one above) achieved a 55% fuel reduction for our industrial client.

We’ve also reduced generator run-time on a diesel/renewable microgrid from hours per day down to pretty close to nothing. (The generator ran for half an hour last quarter).

Our UltraBatteryÂŽ products are Australiandesigned technology with energy, grunt and smarts.

We can use them to make astounding improvements to industrial diesel efficiency.

What could you save with an UltraFlex on your site?

www.ecoult.com

PARIS and beyond Energy Storage Council President Steve Blume presents insights into COP21 in Paris and tomorrow’s energy market.

The UN COP21 in Paris has been accepted as a turning point for renewable energy and storage technologies. Why was this different to Copenhagen and previous COPs? I think the answer is that for the first time governments and NGOs were joined by businesses of all types in large numbers. Business has now agreed the science is correct and their business opportunities were huge.

For energy storage especially this was an important moment in history as all scenarios for 90 per cent or 100 per cent renewables say they can be implemented only if there are suitable storage technologies available. We need to offer the same security, reliability and quality of electricity supply as current systems offer.

Pumped hydro on large-scale hydro electricity dams is around 98 per

Developments The developing world lead by India, Africa and the Pacific Islands, made it clear that renewables with storage was the only way they could get electricity to those who now have none. Just as they jumped directly to mobile cellular network for ITC they will jump fossil fuels for electricity using renewables, storage and microgrids.

A brighter, fairer future So what does that mean for Energy Storage Council members in Australia? First there are export opportunities as many ESC members have innovative products and services that will match the needs of developing countries.

At home the area of focus will be on regulatory barriers to the adoption

cent of all storage around the world today. We know that expanding

of energy storage. In particular the current rounds of the five-year price

capacity of lithium technologies with a variety of chemical bases is rapidly

paths for electricity supply.

becoming the superior technology for broader deployment at residential commercial and green scales.

Storage opportunities But there are many storage alternatives and the presence of many of those companies and their clients at the Paris conference shows that there are opportunities for most if not all of them. A geographically

There is a large push to cost reflective pricing and a large push back from utilities, quite a few still owned by governments that seem to think that just because they have assets they must be entitled to return on those assets.

They are fighting for higher prices for access to the network or services provided but not used but their customers can now be their competitors and can choose alternatives for their energy needs.

In the regular business world a company whose assets become impaired

dispersed network for electricity supply with different types of storage

for one reason or another and so lose value can’t simply insist that those

meeting different needs, including hot water, many solutions will be

assets stay at full value on their books – they take the standard accounting

commercially successful.

practice of writing down those assets.

An important factor was the heavy involvement of those from the financial sector as well as the utility electricity generation sector in side events.

The financial sector was saying they are already incorporating carbon pricing at €50-€80 in every large-scale transaction they negotiate.

Transitions The real answer is that we need partnerships and new business models to deal with this transition. The invisible gorilla not being seen by our regulators or utilities is the rapid coming change to increasing demand for electricity. The conservatism of our regulators who are forecasting

Regardless of the actions of nation states and governments the real

very low demand out to 2030 is a real threat to decarbonisation and the

economy is already internalising costs and that will drive decisions towards

faster take up of renewables and energy storage. This is a topic of great

decarbonisation solutions.

importance and one I will expand on in the next issue of Solar & Storage.

22 | ISSUE 1 • 2016

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Home grown storage expertise Anthony Violi says Fusion Power Systems’ move into the energy market segment is a natural transition as the company’s foundations and intellect is based on battery storage and applications. The all-Australian company is also eyeing up the US and UK markets.

S&S: Can you tell us a bit about the genesis and growth of

a lower carbon footprint. A further influencer on the growth of storage

Fusion Power Systems

will be the commercial and regulatory framework for installation. Changes

Anthony Violi: Fusion’s core business is based on energy storage

in tariff structures could continue to lengthen payback periods with the

within the IT infrastructure industry building and managing data centres

threat of higher service connection charges rather than paying mostly on

and providing necessary back up energy storage via uninterrupted power

usage [causing] more people to go off-grid.

supplies systems. Fusion was launched back in 2010 and by 2013 we were

The end of the gross feed in tariff in NSW at the end of 2016 will have

recognised in BRW’s Fast Top 100. We now have employees in four states

a big impact and having a [properly sized] solution that can bolt on to

and as well as offices in India and the Philippines.

existing solar installations will be a key enabler of storage growth.

In October 2015, Fusion launched the Fusion Titan Energy Storage

2016 is shaping up as a pivotal year for energy storage products in

system, Australian engineered and designed and currently made in

Australia and around the world, with more energy users seeking a better

Australia and built to house Aquion’s Aqueous Hybrid Ion battery

way to power their home or business using renewable solar generation

technology.

with safe and reliable battery technology.

S&S: What is behind your choice of Aquion batteries?

AV: The decision to partner with Aquion’s battery technology was quite

S&S: What strategies are in place to drive market share?

AV: Fusion’s target market will be heavily focused on the distribution

simple; we wanted the safest, competitively priced and most sustainable

and reseller channel but will be heavily influenced via a digital marketing

solution for bulk energy storage applications. All three key principles were

strategy that will drive consumer demand via these channels.

matched with Aquion Energy.

By steering away from heavy metals, toxic and corrosive electrolytes, exotic manufacturing processes and using readily available materials Aquion’s battery technology could uniquely provide leading battery

S&S: What’s on the drawing board for 2016?

AV: In May 2016 at the Energy Storage Council Exhibition Fusion is launching a new product that will complement the Fusion Titan and have

performance with unmatched safety and sustainability for the storage of

global appeal, enabling Australians to install an energy storage system for

solar generation.

less than $9,000.

S&S: What will drive local growth in energy storage systems?

AV: The world is primed for a safe, cheap and sustainable energy storage solution. Some of the drivers will be economic, in the near term more early adopters will be looking for the added benefits of storage such as home back up, increased self-use of solar generation and the potential for

And as part of Fusion’s businesses product diversification and growth strategy business plan we aspire to move into the US and UK during 2016.

The launch of the Fusion Titan energy storage units in October 2015 has seen rapid demand requests from distributors in both the US and UK. www.fusionps.com.au

“2016 is shaping up as a pivotal year for energy storage products in Australia and around the world.”

Team Fusion (left to right): MD Anthony Violi, COO Nathaniel Allen, National Sales Manager Robert Massarotti

24 | ISSUE 1 • 2016

Octillion Power Systems: in the driver’s seat Following is the abridged version of Stephan McRae’s insights into Octillion Power Systems.

Octillion’s capabilities and expectations The [local] investment into Octillion comes from Southern Cross Ventures which manages a fund where ARENA is the major investee. Octillion is committed to developing R&D capabilities in this country that will focus on the delivery of products and capability specific the Australian as well as international markets.

Application areas will focus on the delivery of stationary storage products and software to the residential and off-grid markets. Part of this push will also be the establishment of relationships with key university and research groups that focus on stationary storage.

A medium term area of interest for us is the recycling of Lithium ion batteries in general and specifically battery packs from EVs. Octillion currently has a run rate of 1 GWh of product shipments and building so developing capability and process around the repackaging and repurposing of these systems will deliver a very useful and cost effective product to the stationary storage market.

Market strategy As an OEM supplier and systems integrator of battery packs, our systems and software will find their way into the market through integrated products and systems delivered by intelligent applications providers like STEM, which in the US has incorporated our systems in an intelligent applications solution around curtailing network demand charges in SME and Commercial organisations.

We will also enter the market via inverter manufacturers choosing to sell an integrated storage solution, also systems integrators and distribution companies targeting specific applications. It is highly unlikely you will see an Octillion branded product enter the market. We will be the storage system ‘inside’.

Notably, in Australia, Sunverge will begin shipments of a new version of their product in the near future which will feature a fully customised battery pack designed and manufactured by Octillion. And we are working with a number of other companies both here and overseas planning to create energy storage products in both the residential and larger scale commercial markets. We can leverage the economies of scale of our EV operation and provide effective integrated solution to the stationary storage market.

More on EVs Globally, our battery packs are used in applications such as small passenger EVs, electric buses, electric and hybrid industrial vehicles,

Stephan McRae, Managing Director of Octillion Power Systems operations in Australia, Africa and Asia

26 | ISSUE 1 • 2016

container ship loading facilities, commercial stationary storage for peak demand charge mitigation, telecommunications power backup applications for developing markets and now residential storage.

Our wide experience across many applications allows us to compete on several fronts simultaneously. During the past three months we have worked on designs ranging from a 6 kWh platform for the electrification of three wheeled scooters for the Asian market up to megawatt scale storage for remote communities. Recent commercial success means we will soon begin delivery of an initial 40 MWh of systems to an integrated solar, storage and diesel off grid system for communications towers in Asia.

Comparisons with Tesla On one hand we have a similar business model to Tesla … we will both drive economies of scale into our business through our EV business which will ensure an attractive product cost structure for ESS applications.

Tesla is relying on others to change their products and processes to achieve the integration needed [whereas] Octillion works with companies that build their own integrated products to ensure that their battery and BMS delivers the performance and lifetime that they need. Octillion performs almost all of that crucial integration – interaction between the inverter and the battery process – in-house.

Lessons from industry developments The main focus of the stationary storage market in California has been in commercial operations and at the network level for grid stabilisation applications [hence] Octillion’s battery packs for STEM which builds a product for peak demand charge curtailment. Their smart software can monitor consumption and develop pattern-based algorithms to determine the best time to discharge the batteries into the local circuit, and minimise or eliminate the peak demand charges.

In China the market has been EV centric with little ESS or residential solar in the system. This will change over time but we do not expect to see large volume ESS application in China for a few years.

R&J Batteries powering up BEING IN THE RIGHT PLACE at the right time can play dividends. That was certainly the case for long-term player R&J Batteries which three years ago diversified into the storage market. Not long after that the company secured a major supply contract with the iconic Muswellbrook radio transmission tower project.

Quick recap: Back in 2014 the transmission tower situated 250 kilometres north of Sydney flicked the switch on the BAI operated, Photon designed and installed 39 kWp solar PV system powering up 215 kWh of BAE batteries supplied by R&J. And it’s working beautifully we are told; performance has surpassed all expectations. “The site detached from the grid six months earlier than anticipated and has since achieved the goal to be around 92 per cent renewable with an 8 kVA diesel back-up generator. Fate intervened in the early days when a storm hit but the robust site was unaffected and all systems worked perfectly,” says R&J Product Development Manager Justin Skaines whose main role was ‘behind the scenes’ in the design and planning stages.

Minimal maintenance “The battery is sealed gel and the only maintenance necessary is a voltage check every 12 months which is conducted by Photon offsite via its offices in Sydney or in Germany. The NSW transmission site is monitored around the clock and the beauty of that is with the time difference in Germany it means someone is effectively on duty 24/7.”

Founded back in 1996 R&J Batteries cut its teeth in the automotive context, importing and distributing a range of lead acid batteries. Energy storage came on board in 2013 and while it represents a relatively small part of the business, growth is organic with R&J using “tried and tested, quality” BAE batteries for all applications.

Battery options “We have looked and looked at lithium ion but it is still a relative newcomer with some unknowns, testing is still underway,” Justin explained. “We realised we would need a technical support team for the microchips and microprocessors, it would involve lots more management as there are thousands of derivatives of lithium ion batteries and additives. It’s hard to pick which one will be the winner. There are also issues of stewardship and lots of talk about end of life with the high cost of recycling those batteries, there are no

28 | ISSUE 1 • 2016

plants in Australia. Our other concern is the lack of legislation in building applications, consumers need to be well informed and aware.

“By contrast lead acid is old technology with a long history. Berlin based BAE Batteries was established more than 110 years ago and has a long history in manufacturing industrial lead acid batteries and known outcomes.”

R&J is currently involved in off-grid projects at national parks and cattle stations in Queensland and the Northern Territory and at a variety of test sites in relatively harsh climates where the only other option is to spend around $30,000 per pole connection. They are also supplying batteries to electrical sub-stations so when there is a fault in the line there is the ability to keep systems alive.

Word-of-mouth Locations may be remote, however word spreads quickly with R&J picking up more work in the region along with some early adopters in the residential market.

“But in all of our storage projects we remain inverter agnostic, respecting the fact installers have their own preferences in what is their game, they know the charging point settings and optimal functionality,” said Justin who describes his role as a facilitator in the process and who is determined to build the brand in the right circles.

“We are relatively new to the renewable energy market and part of our strategy to be seen and heard involves Solar Council shows and other expos where we can introduce what we do and where we place lots of emphasis on our BAE product,” he said.

Result! “We have achieved one hundred per cent growth in sales.

What we used to sell in one year we now sell in a month. We are now tendering for work in the Pacific and eyeing up opportunities in New Zealand,” said Justin.

Local talent for quality cabinet “We are being driven forward by the evolution of the energy storage market and will soon be launching a battery cabinet to smarten up the overall look. The good news is it will be manufactured locally by a quality craftsman at a fair price. That was one of the hardest things to find but we did.”

Where best to see the storage cabinet? Look out for it at the Energy Storage Council Expo in early May at the MCEC (see pages 16-17 for details). www.rjbatt.com.au

Your Energy Storage Solution If you need power you can rely on for your domestic or commercial applications, don’t look past BAE Batteries to provide you with uninterupted operations and the maximum service life available.

In Australia BAE has earned a reputation for supplying quality German built and engineered batteries for a diverse array of needs. These include RAPS, UPS, Emergency back-up, renewable energy storage for Stand-alone and hybrid grid connected systems. This is backed up by proven performance in the harshest environments around the globe.

R & J Batteries are proud to be the National distributor for the BAE tubular positive GEL range of products.

BAE PVV and OPzV cells are available in amp hour sizes from 121Ah(C10) to 4710Ah(C100). We can also offer wet DQG Ĺą DW SODWH %$( FHOOV LI UHTXLUHG

/ rjbatt.com.au / 1300 769 282 / bae@rjbatt.com.au

Electromobility Charging station in infastructure

Off-grid system Private Consumer, Solarpower plant

Telecom Radio & Telecomunications, Cellular phone stations

7UDIÄ&#x; F 7HFKQRORJ\

5HJXODWLQJ V\VWHPV 7UDIĹ° F OLJKWV (PHUJHQF\ FDOO stations

Information/Advertising Illuminated posters, Rotary displays, Prism reverser

Back-Up & Critical power Uninterupted power supply

Queensland – Building the Opportunity The Sunshine State is living up to its name by shining the light on solar energy programs that energise the sector.

WITH AROUND 2700 HOURS OF SUNLIGHT EACH YEAR, Queensland is the brightest state in the second sunniest continent on the planet. So it’s no surprise that solar PV is booming. More than 400,000 rooftop systems have been installed with uptake continuing to grow – effectively creating the second largest power station in the state.

Given the state’s great natural advantage, the Queensland Government was pleased to sponsor the state’s first Energy Storage Summit hosted by the Australian Energy Storage Council.

The summit held in Brisbane on 17 February 2016 brought together representatives of industry, universities, consumers and government to discuss developments in technology, market trends, university-industry partnerships and new investment opportunities.

Queensland already has research groups and industry partnerships that are at the forefront of the renewable energy field. The focus now is on identifying and maximising the great opportunities presented by Australia’s emerging energy storage industry.

The Honourable Mark Bailey MP, Queensland Minister for Energy and Water Supply officially opened the Summit. He outlined the Palaszczuk Government’s strategy to develop a renewable energy industry in

Designing and testing new battery materials Dr Rosalind Gummow of James Cook University (JCU) outlined how her team are designing and testing new battery materials prepared from common and plentiful resources (e.g. iron, silicon) that are low cost, low toxicity and customised for different uses. They will help industry develop energy storage solutions with improved safety, higher energy density, improved life span and performance. Enquire at JCU’s website or contact Rosalind at Rosalind.gummow@jcu.edu.au

Large scale solar array and battery storage Professor Paul Meredith from The University of Queensland (UQ), Global Change Institute explained their partnership with AGL, First Solar, MPower and Provecta to install a 3.275 MW solar PV array with 600 kW Li-ion storage at their Gatton Campus. UQ researchers have developed cutting-edge knowledge in designing a Central Supervisory System that communicates with the array, campus, battery bank and local grid. UQ owns and operates more solar PV assets that any other university in the world, and can help industry design and develop improved solar PV and

Queensland that creates greater diversity of supply for consumers and

storage control and management systems. Enquire at UQ’s solar website

new jobs. He also announced government funding of $305,000 to Ergon

or UQ at p.coulonmcintosh@uq.edu.au.

Energy for battery storage and solar PV initiatives. About $100,000 of that will go towards fast tracking the development of a national safety standard

Design and test of new battery materials

for batteries, and recently released public information on battery storage

Dr Alison Rice from Griffith University (GU) highlighted the micro-grid

on his department website.

testing facility on their Nathan Campus, a partnership with Energex,

Assistant Director-General of the Queensland Department of Science,

Elevare Energy and Ergon. The facility tests solar energy production,

Information Technology and Innovation, Dr Christine Williams introduced

storage methods, power conversion methods and peak demand

the audience to the world-leading energy storage research being

management. The adjacent Sir Samuel Griffith Centre is a teaching and

undertaken at Queensland’s universities that presented at the Summit.

research building with solar PV, batteries, battery management systems The Sir Samuel Griffith Centre is a teaching and research building with solar PV, batteries, battery management systems and hydrogen storage

The 3.275 MW solar PV array at The University of Queensland Gatton Campus

30 | ISSUE 1 • 2016

and hydrogen storage. As well as demonstrating new energy generation and storage systems, these facilities are providing new training opportunities. Enquire at GU’s website, or contact Alison at a.rice@griffith.edu.au.

Analysis of energy retail business models and battery materials Professor Gerard Ledwich from the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) outlined their capabilities in analysing energy retail business models, developing battery materials, improving battery cell management and optimising network connections.

QUT can assist industry to research the integration of storage in energy markets, battery material design, construction and testing.

Enquire at QUT’s website or contact Gerard at g.ledwich@qut.edu.au.

Partnership project proposals The Queensland Government’s Advance Queensland initiative has grant programs to encourage industry to partner with Queensland’s science community, from the PhD level up to $1.5M for partnership project proposals. We encourage potential partners to register with Advance Queensland, talk to Queensland’s researchers and consider investing in Queensland as the state develops a globally competitive energy storage industry.

Queensland Science – making a difference https://www.facebook.com/qldscience https://twitter.com/qldscience https://www.youtube.com/qldscience https://www.qld.gov.au/dsiti/science/

t

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SELLING STORAGE: tips from a mastermind How to sell & close deals: solar + hybrid storage Want to spark an appetite for storage in the community? Gain some tips on smart strategies for selling solar and storage? Lliam Ricketts of Supply Partners can point you in the right direction. Here he shares some of the smart strategies he presented at a series of Energy Storage Council masterclasses.

Today’s market Everyone recognises that great things lie ahead for storage. There may be a fair bit of hype surrounding current levels of uptake, but there is also widespread knowledge that people are simply waiting for the right moment to make the switch.

Key dynamics in today’s energy market: Mainstream media is now regularly reporting on energy storage; generous feed-in tariffs are a thing of the past; the cost of power continues to rise and consumers are questioning what value comes from those price hikes, certainly not better services.

These matters are causing more homeowners to rethink the sources of their energy supplies, and more people in the community are keener than ever to make the switch to self-consumption. And it is widely accepted that energy independence is now the goal of many consumers.

In fact word has spread so fast that as many as one in two prospective solar PV customers now enquire about energy storage, Lliam Ricketts says.

It is consumer led – they’re asking for it before we’re even ready! That’s what today is all about.

Critically, company staff who are equipped with greater knowledge of energy storage are much better placed to field customer queries and ultimately achieve higher sale conversions.

You really need to develop a marketing strategy for energy storage (offers) to clients.

“Always provide the current price for a battery component … [because] they will see the price go down as you continue to present them with offers [and] there will come a point where the offer is just too good to refuse.”

32 | ISSUE 1 • 2016

5kW PV with 5kW inverter

Solar Only

Solar+Batteries

Solar Production per day (kWh)

20

20

Percentage used during the day

40%

40%

8

8

$2.40

-$2.40

$876.00

$876.00

12

12

Used during the day (kWh) Consumption (save $0.30/kWh) per day Annual benefit of PV Consumption Excess during the day (kWh) Sold to the grid (earn $0.08/kWh) per day Annul benefit of PV Feed-In-Tariff (FiT)

$0.96 $350.40

Used at night (save $0.30/kWh) per day

$3.60

Annual benefit of Energy Storage

$1,314.00 $1,226.40

Daily extra benefit of Energy Storage per day

$2,190.00 $2.64

Spelling out the process What We Know: Today we know how to pitch and sell solar power systems; we are well aware of the financial viability of solar power and also solar feed-in tariffs, STC values, legislation, etc.

What We Want to Learn: The financial viability of energy storage; what technology combination to offer, and the best way to pitch and sell upgrades and complete systems.

Financial viability of energy storage is generally measured by the return on investment and today’s returns on energy storage are currently lower than those for the sale of a solar PV system by itself. Today’s PV systems commonly achieve a four to six year payback which translates to a 16-25 per cent return on investment.

“Word has spread so fast that as many as one in two prospective solar PV customers now enquire about energy storage.”

Today’s purchasing decision for energy storage therefore tends to be more emotionally driven, or in high demand in areas where there is regular grid failure.

Customers should be provided with a roadmap, a pathway to energy storage.

Two-pronged energy storage marketing strategy If the customer is on a stable grid and has no emotional or personal reason to invest in energy storage and is purely buying on return on

What customers say and ask (and need!)

CUSTOMER: I have heard about energy storage, what do you recommend?

RESPONSE: If your house is grid-connected the chances are that you will want a hybrid system due to cost of off-grid. We find this in 99% of cases.

Depending on the importance of energy power systems we can spell out and decide which style hybrid suits you best.

CUSTOMER: I want to use solar at night BECAUSE: • I only receive a 6-10 cent feed-in tariff when it cost me around 30 c/kWh consumption, or • I am on a Time-of-Use Tariff and power is very expensive after the sun goes down SAMPLE OF YOUR OFFER: A 5kW hybrid package costing $15,234 on 2015 figures CUSTOMER: I want to use solar at night with blackout protection (EPS) BECAUSE: • I only receive a 6-10 cent feed-in tariff when it cost me around 30 c/kWh consumption, or • I am on a Time-of-Use Tariff and power is very expensive after the sun goes down • I want power when there is a black-out SAMPLE OF YOUR OFFER: A 5kW hybrid package with EPS costing $16,234 on 2015 figures CUSTOMER: I am on the grid and want to go off-grid I want to disconnect from the grid – I want to be self sufficient and yes, I want to stick it to the power companies Lliam says: Offer the customer the best solution for them From the question “WHY” you now have an answer. You need to qualify the answer to why... focus on the solution they will most likely buy. Now you have the solution be direct and “Ask for the sale”.

Lliam Ricketts (right) of Supply Partners chats to Paul Scerri of RFI following the Energy Storage Council masterclass

investment, develop a two-stage sale in which any standard PV sale becomes Part 1 of the sale.

Put in place a marketing strategy to send energy storage offers to these clients. Reach out to old customers that were installed post feed-in tariff schemes, and start the dialogue now!

Upselling to a hybrid system involves offering battery ready technology: Sell a package that comes with a hybrid inverter. This may cost approximately $1000 more but often there is a greater margin available through such a sale.

Always provide the current price for a battery component.

This is important as they will see the price go down as you continue to present them with offers in the ensuing months or years.

There will come a point where the offer is just too good to refuse and voila! A storage solution is put in motion.

Supply Partners is a renewables and energy efficiency wholesaler dealing with the market’s larger manufacturers of PV modules, inverters, racking, batteries and commercial boards. The company offers technical support, offers trade insured accounts and STC trading. www.Supplypartners.com.au

The text on these pages covers the principal messages relayed during Lliam’s popular addresses to hundreds attending the Energy Storage Council masterclass across Australia. Videotapes of sessions can be viewed at: • Chapter 8 – Sell & close deals solar+hybrid storage https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5reYLHdLdU4 • Chapter 9 – Packaging & promoting hybrid systems https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWH7KtDRzBM • Chapter 10 – How to sell & close deals off-grid solar https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joQq6MXUfDI

Solar & Storage | 33

Storage news & views Redback’s smart AllGrid meets move David Suzuki Redback Technologies whose Smart Hybrid System connects a household’s rooftop solar system with battery storage and manages communication between the two has joined forces with UQ’s commercialisation division Uniquest. The collaboration is designed to speed up production of Redback’s solar energy and storage management technologies. Redback founder Phil Livingston also has ambitions to halve the smart hybrid system’s ROI rendering it increasingly affordable and attractive.

Ecoult selected for Irish grid support Sydney based Ecoult’s Ultra-battery the 70 kWh UltraMax has been selected for an energy storage trail in Dublin in which smart power electronics will be assessed for their impact on minimising electricity distribution issues and grid instability in the micro grid.

The smart grid test bed will integrate ‘fast response storage’ with the electricity grid in the program being managed by German company Freqcon.

Ecoult chief executive John Wood

In conservation circles names don’t get much bigger than David Suzuki, a champion of the environment. Recently his attention was caught

by Australian company AllGrid Energy whose founder Ray Pratt was in Vancouver to address the First Nations Forum on Canada’s Energy Future. David Suzuki – clearly taken by AllGrid’s smart technology – subsequently wrote a lengthy article for Canada’s Chronicle Herald which contrasted costly, polluting (“climate-altering”) diesel generators in remote communities with clean energy, namely AllGrid Energy 10 kWh solar power batteries “that take advantage of Australia’s abundant sunlight and growing demand for solar panels”.

Suzuki wrote that AllGrid’s lead-acid gel battery was less expensive than Tesla’s lithium Powerwall and that “It’s an example of the rapid pace of renewable-energy development, and one that clears a hurdle previously confronting many clean-energy technologies: their variable nature.”

Suzuki concluded: “Storage offers many advantages. With the urgent need to cut greenhouse-gas emissions, governments need to provide incentives for rapid renewable-energy development and deployment. Considering how quickly computer technology and other human inventions have advanced, it’s easy to see that barriers to a clean-energy shift are more political and psychological than technological.”

“Pretty awesome!” exclaimed AllGrid Energy Marketing Manager Deborah Oberon.

Samsung’s 600 km car battery Samsung has showcased its high energy density lithium-ion battery for EVs which on a single charge will enable electric vehicles to travel up to 600 kilometres. That would mean a return road trip from Sydney to Canberra without having to plug-in to recharge en-route.

The advancement is said to represent an improvement of 20-30 per cent on other cells that currently power vehicles for 500 kilometres. However Samsung’s new battery cell is not anticipated to hit the shelves – or streets – until 2020.

Powering up During 2015 Brisbane-based Redflow cut the cost per kWh of its zinc bromine technology by over 50 per cent and now says the levelised cost of energy of its batteries lies between 20-30 c/kWh, which rivals top-range lithium-ion and lead acid battery technologies.

The commercial sector and off-grid mining applications have to date been Redflow’s target market however around Easter the company plans to launch its “plug and play” home battery storage unit and three months later see the first residential installations.

Building a good life South Korean battery maker LG Chem, which claims to be the world’s largest battery maker by sales, has sealed a deal to supply hundreds of millions of dollars worth of batteries for plug-in hybrid vehicles to Audi AG, the unit of German car maker Volkswagen. The deal was made in a bid to boost Volkswagen’s “sluggish global sales” of plug-in hybrid or electric vehicles.

In other developments, in a deal worth a mighty US$272.7 million, LG Chem is building energy storage systems – each with a daily

34 | ISSUE 1 • 2016

capacity of 31 MW – for four solar plants under construction in Japan for the Green Power Development Corporation. Completion is anticipated in 2017.

In the five years since the Fukushima nuclear crisis Japan has pursued a mix of renewable energy solutions and has been building the world’s largest storage battery system in Hokkaido for stable power supply.

LG Chem also has its eyes set on a series of significant storage projects in North America and Europe.

Storage news & views Putting batteries ActewAGL solar and storage to the test domestic trial Mid March marks the start of a threeyear testing program by ITP Renewable Energy Consultants on the performance of a conventional lead‑acid battery, six major lithium-ion battery brands and an advanced lead‑acid battery.

Testing will involve comparisons of batteries in hot daytime and cool overnight temperatures similar to real‑world conditions.

The project includes designing and building a battery test centre at the Sustainable Skills Training Hub at the Canberra Institute of Technology, and testing the batteries by cycling (charging and discharging) several times each day, heeding manufacturers’ specifications.

A statement read “despite recent reductions in the cost of lithium-ion batteries and the potentially significant advantages the technology offers, energy system designers and end-users are cautious about transitioning to new battery technologies, especially for remote applications where reliability is critical. The project seeks to provide performance data to help overcome this reluctance.”

ARENA is funding the $450,000 project in a bid to provide independent performance data for use in investment decisions. Detailed comparative analysis of the test results covering technical performance and cost-effectiveness will be published every six months.

Results will be published at www.itpau.com.au

Zen moment ZEN Energy recently launched its energy storage technology in Queensland, the state in which Zen wants to harness the benefits of energy generation and storage to supply local households and businesses with renewable electricity that is cheaper than the grid.

Zen Chairman Professor Ross Garnaut – who is also on the board of Future Super – said at the time “ZEN Energy represents a new and unique model of sustainable power generation, storage, delivery and retailing, and one from which the Queensland consumer and the community as a whole stands to benefit.”

36 | ISSUE 1 • 2016

Panasonic is the name behind the energy storage system used in an ActewAGL trial scheduled to last between six and 12 months which will focus on usage data throughout the day in a domestic setting.

Panasonic’s 8 kWh fully integrated energy storage system uses lithium ion battery technology housed in metal cylinders, with a battery life spanning 6000 cycles.

After a comprehensive global survey Panasonic settled on Australia as its first market for domestic storage application and hopes the trial “will get the attention of utilities across the country”.

Market moves Queensland, mid January: The first Tesla Powerwall home battery in Australia is switched on under Energex’s battery storage Queensland Premier trial which will Annastacia Palaszczuk collect real spoke at the launch of the time data on Energex battery storage trial how best to integrate new technologies into South East Queensland’s electricity network.

Speaking at the Energex launch Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the data obtained from trials would help provide costeffective outcomes for Queenslanders.

Paul Reid of Panasonic Australia and Naohisa Marmot

Flicking the switch In mid February AGL Energy announced a US$20 million investment in US-based energy storage and management company, Sunverge Energy, to enhance its energy storage management capabilities and help accelerate the adoption of energy storage in the Australian market.

As part of the strategic agreement, AGL becomes exclusive channel partner for the sales of Sunverge’s intelligent energy storage systems in Australia.

AGL’s Andy Vesey said the agreement gives the utility “early mover advantage” and helps the company “accelerate its capabilities in this space”.

Origin Energy and Energy Australia are also viewing solar plus storage as offering substantial growth opportunities.

Storage on the move Business analytics group IHS Technology has crunched numbers to conclude Australia’s electricity storage market will in 2016 increase tenfold (to 5000) on the current 500 units installed and that the market will double in 2017 and again in 2018 by which time approximately 30,000 Australian households will have PV-energy storage systems.

IHS Energy Storage Intelligence Service reported that installed capacity will soar from 3 MW in 2015 to 200 MW by the end of 2018, with a storage capacity of 250 MWh. Such scale of development would place Australia in the top five for energy storage.

Payback times are also under scrutiny. UBS suggests storage will be economic before 2020, others by 2018 but early adopters and those wanting energy independence are less focused on costs.

Catalyst for change

Battery power in context

For those who missed the un-missable: ABC’s Catalyst 29 minute screening: Battery powered homes – changing our world which can be seen at http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/ stories/4398364.htm In this user-friendly documentary you will identify many familiar faces and names, prominent ESC members among them, as they help explain how battery storage systems are transforming the energy sector.

The ABC TV’s program that reached the masses has got many more talking about the enormous potential of storage.

Bruce Mountain of Carbon Market Economics classifies electrical storage as mechanical, electrochemical (battery), electric, thermal and chemical. There is rapid technology development in each of these areas, but mechanical, and particularly pumped hydro storage, currently account for 98 per cent of all electrical storage internationally.

Batteries account for around 600 MW of gridscale storage globally. This is a tiny proportion of global electrical demand (0.01 per cent) but it is growing rapidly. Lithium-ion batteries in particular have favourable cost, size and operational characteristics which has meant that they have dominated the growth of grid-scale storage.

AES and Mitsubishi team up AES and Mitsubishi Corporation have signed an alliance under which Mitsubishi Corporation will work with AES and its local partners to offer the Advancion® energy storage platform in Asia and Oceania.

The agreement is part of an AES initiative with select leading companies to ensure global availability of the Advancion energy storage platform. The location is strategic: Navigant Research predicts more than 11 GW of energy storage capacity will be installed annually by 2020 in 22 countries, more than one-third of which is expected in Asia and Oceania.

Mitsubishi Corporation and AES subsidiary AES Gener are currently partners on the 20 MW Cochrane battery-based energy storage system under construction in Chile.

AES whose energy storage solutions fleet stretches to 116 MW in operation and three million MWh of delivered service has announced an additional 268 MW of energy storage. For its part Advancion boasts eight years experience in large-scale, grid-connected battery systems.

Introduced in late 2015 Advancion 4 has an “industry-leading compact footprint, optimised design and a patented distributed control system”.

Taking ACTion The ACT is accelerating the introduction of battery storage by supporting the installation of 36 MW of battery storage capacity in more than 5000 Canberra homes and businesses over the next four years, as part of a next generation renewables auction program that will start next year.

The move comes in the territory which is aiming for 90 per cent renewables by 2020, 100 per cent by 2025.

Please email editor@solar.org.au

Solar & Storage | 37

Divestment and investment

Planning a super future More organisations and citizens across the spectrum are making a conscious decision to turn their back on fossil fuels. Here we review trends and talk to Australian activist-come-entrepreneur Simon Sheikh who is leading the charge and founded Future Super to help more switch to green.

ACROSS THE GLOBE hundreds of institutions managing trillions of dollars in assets have in recent years committed to divest their fossil fuel holdings, and the movement continues to amass supporters. There’s a shift among everyday citizens, venture capitalists, insurance companies, global giants Rockefeller and Bloomberg as well as colleges. Here in Australia the ANU took a significant step by electing to divest $16 million in seven fossil fuel companies; in UK the ‘Fossil Free’ program focuses on university endowment funds; in the US the University of California is selling $200 million worth of investments in coal and oil companies.

Others are keen to distance themselves from polluters; Californian legislators gave the thumbs up to divest $476 billion in state pension assets away from coal companies. All part of a vital campaign says Canadian activist Naomi Klein that tackles climate change and delegitimises “odious profits”.

Topping that list, arguably, are the Rockefellers who over the decades have built unprecedented wealth on oil, so it was something of a revelation in 2014 when the heirs announced they were pulling the plug on fossil fuel investments. By the end of 2017 the name synonymous with oil will no longer hold stocks in oil, gas, coal or tar sands within their US$850 million portfolio. The line-in-the–sand by the pioneering energy visionary has been described the “high point [in] the fossil fuel divestment movement”.

“We are quite convinced that if John D Rockefeller were alive today, as an astute businessman looking out to the future, he would be moving out of fossil fuels and investing in clean, renewable energy,” said Stephen Heintz, president of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund.

And while the divestment movement continues to gain momentum, so do oil prices plunge and coal assets in the billions remain stranded, highlighting “quantifiable risks” directly associated with ownership of carbon assets. But the coin is flipped for renewables.

Giving the green light Late last year US President Barack Obama said with a world increasingly committed to a low-carbon future, investors are putting money into clean energy technologies which sends “a signal to the private sector to go all-in on renewable energy technologies”.

“There is not a contradiction between growth development and being good stewards of the planet, they are complementary,” he reassures, “More and more companies are realising that climate change presents a

“We can’t prevent climate change if we all continue to invest in the causes of climate change.”

38 | ISSUE 1 • 2016

new business opportunity … in 2014 renewable energy accounted of half of all the power plants built around the world.

“The old rules that said we cannot grow our economies and protect our environment at the same time, those are outdated. We can transition to clean energy without squeezing businesses and consumers.”

Australia’s Rowan Dowland of Bank Australia agrees, stating “Decarbonising the planet represents the greatest ever business opportunity … sentiment has shifted and businesses today are investing far more carefully with a shift in shareholder values mindful of climate change; hope has replaced despair.”

The Australia Institute quantifies the sentiment, revealing one in four Australians are willing to shift their super to a fund that does not invest in coal and coal seam gas; and that equates to a $247 billion tsunami of hope.

Currently $1.8 trillion is invested in Australian super funds which by 2035 is forecast to more than treble to $6 trillion, representing massive potential for Australians to make a conscious decision to use their super to create a better world and stem climate change, says Future Super founder Simon Sheikh.

Swell of support for a super future “Citizens around the world, including in Australia, are becoming increasingly aware of the link between their personal finances and the fossil fuel industry. This shift in understanding really took off three years ago with the popularisation of the concept of ‘climate math’,” Sheikh told Solar & Storage.

“A growing percentage of Australians now understand that in order to stay below two degrees there is a limit to the amount of carbon that can be emitted into the atmosphere, and therefore a limit to the capacity of companies that own fossil fuel reserves to utilise their reserves.

“Every day the money in our super funds helps to decide whether fossil fuel projects get funding, or whether the climate change solutions get funding. We can’t prevent climate change if we all continue to invest in the causes of climate change.”

Sheikh added that the concept is now reaching mainstream environmentalists who are increasingly being warned their own retirement savings are potentially at risk if they hold fossil fuel companies that “may not be able to burn as much carbon as they were otherwise planning to”.

“Our hope is that the continued growth of the [Future Super] fund … will allow us to collaborate with the renewable energy industry in the building of utilities scale renewables.”

“The shift toward fossil fuel free investing is about urgency. A growing group of the population understands that if we are to shift the near $2 trillion Australian superannuation sector into properly incorporating climate risk into their investment strategies we need to prove that there is customer demand.”

A safe bet “Making the shift away from super funds that invest the savings of our members in fossil fuels isn’t just about feeling good. It is about the fact that by switching en masse, we can influence those who hold the keys to large sums of capital.”

According to Sheikh the demand for fossil fuel free investing is drawing interest from a diverse set of the population, with younger savers and superannuates more than 55 years old the most interested in making the shift.

But how does Future Super target its market? “We reach this audience by attending events such as the recent Sustainable Living Festival, and by marketing to this audience online. Our members are highly engaged and many are evangelists for our fund,” Sheikh explained.

“Future Super members are those particularly motivated to share the story of how easy it is to make the shift. Superannuation switching suffers from an intention-to-action gap. Fourteen per cent of the population say they will definitely shift to a fossil fuel free super fund, but a smaller percentage actually have. This gap is predominantly a result of the fact that most of us don’t yet realise how easy and how automated the process has become – it can actually take as little as three minutes online.”

In recent years the process of switching has been made easier thanks to the Australian Tax Office bringing super funds together under a shared platform known as Super Stream.

The investment proposition that Future Super brings to market is their belief that in the long term – and super tends to be a long-term investment for most – the risks associated with investing in fossil fuels

are too high. Its members in 2015 benefited from a significantly above average return, Solar & Storage was told.

Green growth “Our hope is that the continued growth of the fund, which now sits at $125 million, will allow us to collaborate with the renewable energy industry in the building of utilities scale renewables,” said Sheikh whose Future Super offices are based in Canberra. “This makes us an excellent potential partner for companies looking to bid in ACT Government auctions and we are regularly approached in this regard.

“I personally feel inspired by the growth of Future Super and can’t imagine moving back into my previous life as a political candidate or grassroots activist. The clean tech industry hasn’t previously had a super fund they can call their own and we’re excited to be managing the savings of members of this industry in a way that matches their values.”

Worth a visit: • W ant to know what fossil fuels your super fund invests in?

Visit www.superswitch.org.au • And for a wrap on old fossils investment performance: http://apo.org.au/resource/burned-how-superannuation-funds-havelost-billions-fossil-fuels • www.myfuturesuper.com.au • Twitter at @simonsheikh

Movers and shakers The Future Super leadership team includes climate change campaigners, community organisers, superannuation experts and investment professionals, among them the founder of Ethical Jobs website. Other than screening out fossil fuel companies, Future Super does not invest in tobacco, live animal exports, old growth logging, or detention centres, instead seeking out companies involved in ethical, social and environmentally positive activities.

Bright spark of conscience: When he was just 24 years old Simon Sheikh (pictured) founded GetUP! which went on to secure hundreds of thousands of members and holds enormous political clout in tackling members’ top concerns: climate change and global warming.

Simon was the Greens’ Senate candidate for the ACT in the 2013 federal election but declares he is more empowered to push the climate change agenda by running a fossil fuel-free start-up rather than by being in government.

Solar & Storage | 39

Solar combisystems: a big step forward Tahlia Nolan picked up the NoCarbon prize for her research paper ‘Evaluating the performance, design and optimisation of a solar combisystem in the Australian Climate’.

Chris Taylor of Apricus who drove the research says more needs to be done to promote the potential of combisystems.

WITH EVER-INCREASING ELECTRICITY AND GAS prices and mounting global

heating and domestic hot water demand of a four-person family. Results

pressure for low carbon buildings, consumers are looking for ways to

of testing showed the gas booster was hampering the solar array’s

reduce their energy consumption. The majority of the residential sector’s

ability to contribute to the tank’s hot water. The installed system was

energy requirements in Australia comes from space and water heating

designed to maintain tank temperatures suitable for domestic hot water,

demand, which has historically used pure gas or electricity as the fuel.

> 60°C; if the water fell below this the gas booster replenished the tank

The market for solar hot water has increased over the years, but this

with hot water which meant that there was limited cold water to be

does not address residential heating demand. Solar combisystems may

heated by the solar array. The logic of the control system meant that the

provide a solution.

water was always being held at higher temperatures than needed for

Solar combisystems use solar hot water as the primary fuel to provide both domestic hot water and hydronic underfloor space heating and by doing so decrease the use of auxiliary energy, such as gas and electricity,

the space heating demand (generally less than ~45°C in Australia) and limiting contribution from solar.

By changing the tank logic and design, the fractional thermal savings

reducing running costs and carbon emissions. These systems typically have

(the amount of auxiliary energy saved by using solar) was increased on

a larger collector area and tank size than conventional solar domestic hot

average by 15 per cent. The tank set point temperature was decreased

water systems in order to meet the additional space heating demand.

to meet the space heating demand at 45°C, decreasing the amount of

Solar combisystems have been extensively researched and installed

energy supplied by gas and decreasing the tank losses. The design allowed

globally, most notably in Europe, but have remained relatively uncommon

the gas booster to directly boost the temperature of water to the domestic

in Australia. The aim of a solar combisystem is to use solar generated hot

hot water demand when required. Standard requirements for Legionella

water to contribute to residential hydronic space heating, and research

growth were still met via the gas booster.

into these systems is directed towards increasing solar contribution

The study was replicated at four locations across Australia; Sydney,

and reducing the amount of gas or electricity being consumed by the

Canberra, Melbourne and Hobart. The greatest thermal savings were

hydronic space heating. There is no “right” design for these systems, but

achieved in Canberra, where the heating loads in the climate were the

optimising a system design for an Australian climate was the aim of my

highest of the four locations and achieved the highest thermal savings

research, taking unique space heating requirements to increase the solar

translating into real dollar savings. Climates with cold weather but a

contribution for the hydronic space heating and domestic hot water. The

strong solar resource are most suitable for these systems.

research was driven by Apricus Australia to build on their knowledge and innovate on design.

Nuts and bolts of system design and performance

Practical conclusions A solar combisystem is a great way to use solar energy to heat your home. Hydronic underfloor heating has great comfort benefits compared to convectional air heating, and being able to offset gas use

Apricus Australia installed a system in a residential home in North Curl

with a renewable resource is a step forward to a more efficient and low

Curl on the coast of NSW in 2014, which was used to evaluate design.

carbon home. However, without careful design, the efficiency of a solar

This system consisted of four evacuated tube collectors, a gas booster

combisystem to achieve this can be poor giving the wrong idea about

and a 680L tank to provide enough energy for the hot water, space

how great these systems can be for an Australian household.

40 | ISSUE 1 • 2016

Warm words from Apricus Chris Taylor of Apricus who steered the research into combisystems said many of the solutions in the market are risk averse in that they don’t fully take into account long-term implications of design.

“The exciting thing about Tahlia’s research was she wanted to explore options for providing heating solutions combined with hot water – hence the combination system that would allow for all the features and benefits a householder would want but in an environmentally friendly and economically responsible way,” Chris told Solar & Storage.

“The vast majority of hydronic systems are run on gas which has always been considered a relatively cheap source of energy. But gas prices are on the rise and will continue to increase so running costs will be prohibitive in the long-term. Tahlia’s research shows an option installers just don’t go down as they think solar is too expensive for hydronic systems; they dismiss solar, many don’t even raise [the prospect] with customers.

“The primary outcomes of Tahlia’s research are: how heating solutions could embrace renewable energy aspects through design innovations; and debunking various practices and theories around the ‘best’ or ‘most practical’ heating solutions which are considered to be gas.”

We asked Chris about the next step.

“It is all about promotion and working with key partners,” he explained.

“We want to shine focus on this and get Tahlia to talk more about this, as well as clients. It’s one thing for a manufacturer to be talking about it but another to hear from consumers themselves.

“Apricus will also build up a history of the combisystem’s performance and use customers themselves as spokespersons.”

He added that harnessing existing energy is Apricus’s mission, and in their power-diverting project to draw energy out of PV and into storage cells a storage tank would “be a classic” and they are keen to maximise that. “A hot water tank is like a giant battery.”

“We have the means to build a 100 per cent renewables future, we simply need the will.”

Steve Blume, NoCarbon

Award winning research Tahlia Nolan is a final year student at UNSW. She picked up the NoCarbon 2015 Prize for best paper from a female student in solar energy research.

NoCarbon CEO Steve Blume whose mantra for solar is “deployment, deployment, R&D and deployment! We have the means to build a 100% renewables future, we simply need the will” was inspired by Tahlia’s research.

He said “It’s great to see a paper that looks at a range of solar technologies and also has much pragmatic application.”

The paper was selected by the scientific committee of the Asia Pacific Solar Research Conference for its merit in scientific quality, originality, clarity, potential impact, writing style as well as presentation.

Solar & Storage | 41

Transformations

All about ABB ABB Australia’s Axel Kuhr says batteries, solar and microgrids are transforming the energy industry. Now let’s see how these technologies can be further integrated into the existing infrastructure, a process in which all stakeholders need to consider all possibilities.

S&S: Can you tell us a bit about the direction of ABB’s Australian operations?

Axel Kuhr: Perhaps I can first tell you how ABB secures – and maintains – its place at the forefront of the energy sector transformation: we take a strategic stake in emerging companies which have proven or promising renewable energy technologies and invest in R&D programs to grow the capability. It’s a simple yet far-reaching strategy that means we are constantly driving clean energy developments.

Within Australia, this approach led to the acquisition of Darwin based business PowerCorp, a world leader in integrating distributed energy resources and loads, as well as grid stabilisation and energy storage solutions. This business is now at the centre of ABB’s global 1,000 day Microgrid Strategic program.

ABB’s commitment to domestic PV led to the 2012 acquisition of Power One, listed as one of the top two domestic inverter suppliers worldwide.

Power One operations in Australia are now fully integrated into ABB’s solar business, supplying and supporting domestic PV inverters sourced from ABB’s global factories.

ABB will soon be releasing its REACT domestic inverter and battery energy storage product. Aimed at the residential market REACT consists of either a 4.6 kW or 3.6 kWh single-phase ABB inverter and a lithiumion battery providing 2 kWh of usable energy. This will help Australian customers adapt to time of use tariffs by better matching energy consumption and production.

S&S: What do you identify as the positives and negatives?

Axel Kuhr: Given ARENA is currently seeking detailed proposals from 22 bidders for part-government-funded large-scale solar projects the

Axel Kuhr says Australia has everything at its disposal to enable a smooth transition to a more sustainable and economically viable power generation, transmission and distribution system. Collective endeavours and the right policy settings will further invigorate the sector.

outlook is positive. This, coupled with improved price competitiveness of large-scale solar PV and energy storage solutions, [boosts] interest in our innovative grid stability, distributed energy and microgrid solutions.

Diesel-fuel price volatility is becoming a challenge. Reducing the use

S&S: What strategies are you employing to secure a significant slice of the storage market?

of fossil fuels is one of the drivers for off-grid microgrid installations.

Axel Kuhr: ABB has a deep understanding of energy storage

The recent decrease in diesel-fuel pricing is making applications which

technology options to cover the different requirements from near instantaneous power responsiveness; from super-capacitors and flywheels, to a balance of power and energy storage.

ABB has entered into a non-exclusive strategic partnership with Samsung on Li-ion energy storage. We are co-operating on several projects in-front of the meter, covering hybrid power generation, grid stabilisation and time shifting applications. Behind the meter, ABB is working with Panasonic combining ABB’s inverter and network connection know-how with their energy storage products in the modular REACT inverter/storage product due for release in Australia soon.

historically may have been evaluated solely and purely on this aspect, less attractive. However, concerns around energy security, logistics and fueltransportation costs along with the desire to reduce carbon emissions, are now being more accurately evaluated and weighted in investment decision making processes.

In the utility space the revenue streams between generation and distribution/transmission are not clearly defined and it is unclear who can tap into those revenue streams when making investments for microgrids, which are often a combination of generation and distribution.

42 | ISSUE 1 • 2016

We are mostly using lithium-ion batteries [due to] cost optimisation and charge/discharge rate and energy with good temperature behaviour.

However, given the market is moving quickly, other technologies such as flow batteries may prove to provide a better fit.

Grid technology and power electronics is an ABB strength, therefore partnering allows us to combine our complementary capabilities for optimal solutions.

S&S: What market segment holds the most promise or greatest opportunities for you?

Axel Kuhr: ABB’s portfolios of solar inverters range from single-phase and three-phase string inverters, up to megawatt-sized central inverters suitable for the smallest residential PV systems right up to multimegawatt PV power plants.

The residential market remains the primary market in Australia, however we foresee interesting opportunities in big commercial and utility-scale project thanks to ARENA projects. On the industrial and utility-scale we see systems ranging from 500 kW in the off-grid space, up to 30 MW in the on-grid space, with storage times ranging from minutes to a few hours.

ABB has identified microgrids as a great growth opportunity worldwide, including further penetration into remote communities, defence facilities, utilities and commercial applications in Australia. They are an enabling technology which link distributed energy resources and loads. Microgrids are generation-agnostic (often including renewables) and can operate at either low or medium voltage.

ABB’s technology portfolio comprises transformers, switchgear, protection and control products, and circuit breakers which are key components in any microgrid. Worldwide, ABB has completed 50 + microgrid projects, with different parts of the grid operated in a controlled and coordinated way. This expertise is located in Australia, and is now leveraging ABB’s global understanding of grid connected energy supply and demand management to expand further into emerging microgrid opportunities across the globe.

S&S: What does the future hold for ABB? Axel Kuhr: ABB’s Next Level Strategy for 2015-2020 re-affirms its core focus on power and automation technologies and their application in the utilities, industrial, transportation and commercial sectors.

There is scope for ABB to grow profitably in many sectors, and ABB has the financial resources to participate selectively in acquisitions if there is a compelling business case. However, our strategy is for an increased emphasis on strategic partnerships such as our links with Samsung for microgrids and Hitachi in Japan on HVDC or around our agreement to jointly develop new solutions for energy storage with China’s BYD in 2014.

ABB’s significant achievements, near, far and even further afield In Australia: the Grid Energy Storage System for the Thomas Town project in conjunction with Ausnet Services. ABB’s Powerstore™ grid stabilising generator provides active and reactive power support during periods of peak demand.

This is an innovative alternative to the traditional grid augmentation solutions which lock-in costs over a 20-year period. The solution was developed by ABB’s microgrid team based in Darwin. Advancing the technical and financial viability of the ‘fringe-of-grid’ concept to improve network resilience is one of the focus areas the Darwin team is actively pursuing.

ABB is also involved in a renewable energy project to demonstrate the feasibility and reliability of an off-grid hybrid solar systems in reducing carbon emissions and diesel costs in the mining sector.

The Microgrid team based in Darwin has integrated wind generation, and provides grid stabilisation in one of the harshest climates on the planet with the US, New Zealand, and Australian Antarctic bases all relying on an ABB microgrid solution. Projects delivered over the past five years have included the challenge of frequency conversion from 50Hz to 60Hz to integrate the US and New Zealand power networks in an environment where power stability is key, and energy security is critical.

ABB is currently supplying a 200 MW solar plant with a turnkey electrical balance of plant solution in the Philippines.

Last year in Honduras, ABB installed an integrated power and automation solution for that country’s largest solar plant, a 100 MW photovoltaics (PV) site near Nacome.

ABB forged an innovation and technology alliance with Solar Impulse, which achieved a record-breaking flight of five consecutive days and nights across the Pacific Ocean on solar power alone. The journey that demonstrates the potential of clean technologies and what can be achieved with innovation and a pioneering spirit continues during 2016. http://www.abb.com/au

Solar & Storage | 43

Manufacturing

ReneSola’s reach and range The year 2015 marked ReneSola’s first decade in business, and in that time the manufacturer and supplier of green energy products has shipped 12 GW of panels, secured 40 global subsidiaries and today boasts 5600 employees in 16 countries. And according to Vice President Oceania Derek Marsden with its five years of “spectacular industry growth” Australia is hailed as one of the leading markets.

“But we have always had a different business model – rather than volume at large scale we have thrived on the residential market which has been helped along by generous grants in the early days with the multipliers and feed in tariffs,” he commented. “That is still cracking on but the industry can stand on its own two feet and return on investment is still there.

“However to a certain extent the shine has come off solar, the residential market leveled out a bit during 2015. By contrast commercial rooftop work has picked up and statistics show the average system size has trended up from 30 kW toward 100 kW averaging 50 kW. Volumes per quarter are also trending up however economists might say we are close to saturation.”

ReneSola is keen to make inroads into large-scale solar but the sector has been relatively sluggish. “ARENA is generating lots of ‘hands up’ but I will be interested to see what progresses,” Derek said. “Hopefully largescale will pick up, it could do with government support, not so much financially but with targets that drive clean energy generation coupled with divestment in coal. And maybe we could get the utilities onto some sort of PPA to support solar farms at profit.“

Manufacturing innovation

Mazenod College’s 269 kW system features 1076 ReneSola Virtus II solar panels that will deliver on average 1000+ kilowatt hours of power daily and mitigate 350 tonnes of carbon emissions.

to industry leading levels”. For its part the also newly launched Replus Hybrid Inverter enables better yields at low light times of early morning and late evening.

“But solar is not always the most lucrative market so it helps to diversify, which is why we are dipping our toes into LED and plan to be a major player for commercial installations and domestic use” Derek said in the candid interview.

Storage solutions

To gain a foothold in the storage market ReneSola has teamed up with Alpha Energy Storage Systems. “This was chosen as the system integrates well, we put them through the ringer sampling the systems and carried out rigorous tests,” Derek explained. “They have struck an affordable price point with a realistic return on investment which shaves years off the average.

“Storage may still be for the early adopters but this is closing the gap. The tipping point will come with price, people want to ‘go green’ but don’t want to hurt financially in the process.

Economies of scale are the next step and BYD and Tesla are going head-to-head to bring lithium-ion to the masses.

“It took five years for solar prices to come crashing down and I’m hopeful of a similar scenario with batteries but costs are unlikely to fall as fast. That said the domestic market will spur on the storage market as will the utilities, ironically, because they have created a ‘them and us’ which makes life difficult and gives customers yet another reason to dislike them [and want energy independence].

“People want to be masters of their own destiny. ROI and independence is driving the utopian idea – they want to be self sufficient to Spread across 13 sites the 416 kW Corowa shire solar installations features ReneSola 250W polycrystalline solar panels 1664 Virtus II solar panels. Production has been significantly better than a certain extent”. anticipated, and the project itself sparked significant local interest and boosted solar uptake. www.renesola.com.au

With an eye on the main game the vertically integrated company continues to invest significant sums – around $US40 million – in R&D to drive improvements. Improvements in wafer technology led to ReneSola’s launch late last year of the New Virtus II – 4 Bus Bar panels, which according to Derek showcase “real innovation in power density

44 | ISSUE 1 • 2016

Selling success Greg Ferrett of ASM Money suggests sales reps combine ‘emotional intelligence techniques’ with attractive finance packages to seal deals with prospective customers.

IT IS A FACT OF LIFE TODAY: people complain about the price of electricity, gas and water; however the utilities are a necessary expense. But as ASM Money says, there are ways and means of mitigating those expenses. And right now the business case for solar is stronger than ever.

ASM Money recommends the use of finance packages as they reduce the total monthly outgoings of a business or commercial venture. “To bring this to fruition we work with finance providers who are solar friendly and offer long-term solutions so a business does not have to foot any upfront cost. Instead they pay a lower monthly cost for their power – even after repayments – and eventually generate power at no cost at all,” Greg Ferrett said.

Reinforcing ASM Money’s focus on renewable energy, Greg explained today’s involvement with power reduction projects tapping into LED lights, voltage optimisers and power management systems.

“Our passion is renewable energy, we get involved in energy storage, solar, wind, solar thermal; we have financed almost every type of product you can imagine in the energy space.

“We work hard to find packages which are solar friendly and now have access to a strong portfolio providing solutions across a range of industries.”

The ‘standard’ for long-term commercial finance is up to eight years; schools tend to opt for a ten year rental program which from get go reduces monthly outgoings; and residential finance which is a ten year program is designed to be cash flow positive from day one.

But Greg remains frustrated by the levels of untapped potential, saying often the biggest challenge is the mindset of solar sales representatives.

When less is more “Within the industry there are still some reps who fail to offer finance when selling to commercial establishments. Asking a business to pay a large up-front lump sum to replace an operational cost is business

In his book Selling to the Seven Emotional Buying Styles: Make Every Sales Call Pay by Selling to Emotional Needs Greg Ferrett asserts sales can be more easily closed by appealing to the person’s emotional type.

Business relationships are made between two people rather than two companies, he says, and the nature of personal dynamics strongly influence the client’s buying decision. The better tuned in you are, the better the outcome.

Greg classifies prospective buyers into one of seven emotional buying styles: normal, the hustler, mover, double checker, artist, politician and engineer. He says “To be a top performing sales representative you need to have an understanding of the emotional factors within the buying process and develop the skills and techniques needed to connect with and build relationships with each style of client.”

Greg Ferrett (left) promotes solar finance as a means of bringing clean energy to businesses across Australia. Pictured here with John Grimes madness. It is less expensive for a business to rent solar than to buy it for cash when you take into account the tax incentives and depreciation allowances for solar,” Greg explained. “It is not until nearly the fourth year of a finance solution when cash overtakes rental as the least expensive – and that assumes there is no inflation at all and electricity prices stay the same.

“When you take all this into consideration a company that uses electricity and pays tax should have a strong case for allowing solar to be installed considering: 1. It costs nothing 2. Ongoing operational costs are less, including repayments, and 3. It is the only opportunity to permanently reduce (and potentially eliminate) power bills, and 4. There is strong marketing advantage to being green “People sometimes ask ‘Why finance a solar installation?’ and I say why not, it’s the best way of getting into the renewable energy market.

The reality is companies that sell using finance, especially in the booming commercial market, close three to four times more deals and install optimal sized systems to businesses.

“Once a sales rep is convinced they should use finance to sell the next challenge is to help them use it better. They are solar specialists whereas ASM Money is a finance specialist and we can find the right finance solution for almost any requirement.”

More information: www.asmmoney.com.au. Greg’s weekly motivational blog at www.mondaymotivationalmoment.com. His book on emotional intelligence at amazon, 1300 080 163, 0419 235 000, greg.ferrett@asmmoney.com.au

Solar & Storage | 45

Solar pioneer

The audacity of tenacity This year marks the start of yet another exciting new chapter for solar stalwart Monica Oliphant AO who was crowned 2016 Senior South Australian of the Year for her pioneering work in renewable energy.

WITH A CAREER IN RENEWABLES spanning more than five decades, Monica Oliphant has been tireless in her mission to promote solar’s agenda and acceptance. Today there are no signs of slowing down; instead the solar trailblazer who is blessed with vision and aptitude – helped along by a tenacious spirit – has earmarked numerous projects to further the effort.

Our story starts in the 1970s when Monica, equipped with an honours degree in physics took a role as senior researcher for utility Electricity Trust of South Australia (ETSA). At that time coalfields were being sourced and tapped for energy supplies and oil was hailed as liquid gold.

“Back in the seventies the main issue was not climate change, it was continuity of oil supplies due to tensions in the Middle East and oil embargos. But someone had the vision to state if we had solar energy we wouldn’t have to rely on oil,” she said.

“There was little interest in energy efficiency or solar hot water or panels.

My job at ETSA was effectively to sit in the corner and simply check how renewable energy was going, it was all a bit soul destroying.

Putting the wheels in motion “The first very useful job involved wind surveys and when in the nineties wind energy became cost effective we at least had all the details and that put South Australia off to a good start.”

Pushing boundaries the fearless researcher managed to convince management to sign off on some of the very earliest rooftop PV projects.

One of these, the Solar Sense home, attempted for the first time to integrate solar panels and PV with the grid. Despite negative receptions

– concerns were raised over the look of panels – it was clear the systems were going to reduce consumption.

“I was lucky being able to do these projects – I would go to management and ask if I could get involved with certain projects but then I had to chase grants. Looking back I think I was the employee from hell …

I was self-directed and did not have a team, I was on my own. I’m not sure I’d get away with it these days!”

The solar systems changed the thinking of people in public housing but in the eyes of the utility it was too small scale to make a difference and solar was not taken seriously.

Despite her sixth sense for solar, Monica’s early ground-breaking work did not change things overnight; however it did set the seed for an alternative and was instrumental in putting solar energy on the radar.

From 2000 Monica turned her efforts toward research as an independent consultant specialising in residential energy efficiency and renewable energy and in 2002 she won SA’s Great Environmental Award.

Things have come a long way since.

Solar and storage progress “I’m amazed at Australia’s uptake of renewables in general and today in South Australia 41 per cent of energy supplies are from intermittent sources,” said the softly spoken but steadfast scientist. “That would be second highest in world if it the state was a country. Another 600 MW of wind and a large-scale solar farm are planned and I have no doubt we’ll get to 50 per cent clean energy. I would never have thought that

Research scientist Monica Oliphant’s conviction in renewable energy mixed with a healthy dose of persistence have helped shape and influence Australia’s transition to clean energy

“For me it’s always been about climate change.

I say renewable energy is good for security of supply, it reduces costs and is pretty good too for climate change mitigation!”

46 | ISSUE 1 • 2016

was possible a couple of decades back, and that leads to questions of some sort of storage to ensure we can have renewable energy as baseline power for reliability of supply.”

“There are may options and different battery storages from zinc to lead to lithium ion, it is quite exciting and so are the different types of storage, for example one using water … people are coming up with many different concepts of storage. I don’t favour any in particular but do worry lithium ion may become a non-renewable resource, it may not be as widespread or available as necessary, [in any event] it’s a good idea to diversify.”

She’s also keen to enable affordable, economically sustainable energy to those of lower socio-economic status and is patron of CORENA – Citizens Own RE Network Australia – which taps the power of community funds for solar power installations at community centres and facilities, and which has inspired similar initiatives.

A string to the bow = a stronger voice The tireless crusader now plans to use her moniker South Australian Senior Citizen of the Year to further ramp up the renewables agenda.

“The title has given me credibility, the Premier of South Australia sent his

Today’s targets

congratulations and that led to my meeting his chief of staff and principal

Industrial process heat is an area Monica identifies as neglected. In her words: “Almost 50 per cent of our primary energy is used for heat, and two thirds of that is used in industry. Much is in the range that solar can address – there are job opportunities we have not yet looked at. But society says it is easier to go for electricity than it is for heat.”

Last year Monica led a team of scientists from Malaysia, Russia and China undertaking a feasibility study on renewable energy in China. The outcomes could have far reaching consequences for the United Nations which plays a critical role in the development of renewables, particularly in developing countries, and is now considering a public private partnership for large scale development. She remarked too on the high levels of China’s air pollution causing respiratory problems that are turning the tide against coal imports.

Also in Monica’s sights are multiple sclerosis sufferers who suffer poor body temperature control and rely on air conditioning. “So the challenge is how to keep their costs low and comfort levels high and I’m looking at energy concessions to offset costs of PV,” said the pioneering scientist.

economic adviser and I hope something positive comes from this.

“I want to do something beneficial for the renewable energy industry; to help drive local governments toward carbon emissions mitigation programs and develop concessions to help more people, and to bring about greater transparency in retailers’ electricity bills, spelling out changes to network tariffs and how they translate.”

Not long after this interview Monica was winging her way to an ISES board meeting in Germany but true to form welcomes the day that technology applications remove the need for international business travel.

Unless perhaps solar energy is powering the planes that crisscross the skies.

Monica Oliphant was awarded an AO for distinguished service to the renewable energy sector. She is Adjunct Associate Professor of the University of South Australia and Fellow Charles Darwin University, Past President International Solar Energy Society and is an inductee in the ASC Hall of Fame and an ASC Life Member. http://corenafund.org.au/

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Standout projects

Raising the bar in sustainable living Location and creation: Five x Four Hayes Lane Conveniently located on the city fringe, East Melbourne recently topped The Age newspaper’s most liveable suburbs index. Boasting wide, treelined streets and Victorian mansions the gentrified suburb is home to many iconic landmarks including the MCG, parks and gardens, and now the innovative Five x Four Hayes Lane.

The four storey home which sits on less than 20 square metres (hence the name) last year became renown for its Landmark Sustainable Living Project which sets a precedent by considering the full life cycle of a building’s development from its design, use of materials to its day-to-day operations.

Key to which is smart use of solar power. Enphase Energy microinverters and Yingli Solar photovoltaic (PV) panels were the chosen technologies.

The uniquely positioned 4 kW installation comprises 15 Yingli Solar n-type Monocrystalline 270W Panda Series panels integrated into the building’s façade and roofline, over three different angles including six panels installed vertically on the northern façade of the building. A system that demonstrates “no limits to achieving maximum output throughout the day”.

Energy drawn from the panels is converted into electricity using 15 Enphase M250 Microinverters installed behind each panel and the residents – who managed the project – monitor the system’s generation in real time through Enphase’s Enlighten software, the intelligent, cloud-based platform that provides insights on energy production, the health of the system and pre-emptive alerts to any potential issues.

Approximately 20 per cent of the system’s generation is exported back to the grid but once the Enphase Storage System is installed the AC Battery will enable Five x Four to store its solar power for use at night.

Five x Four Hayes Lane was modelled on a minimal life-cycle energy and One Planet Living approach. www.fivexfour.com/solar.

IMAGE PROVIDED BY BARLEY STORE PRODUCTIONS PTY LTD

Solar panels are oriented north, east and west

‘Hybrid heaven’ Solar power + battery storage + electric cars Fifteen kilometres east of Melbourne is the leafy suburb of Blackburn with its larger blocks and family friendly backyards. One forward thinking resident called on EnviroGroup to design a solar power system that covered as much of the household’s energy consumption as possible, which included the charging of their two plug-in electric cars a Tesla Model S (7.2 kW charger) and Nissan Leaf (3.6 kW charger).

As seen in the image (left) the roof design is complex and comes with shading issues.

The optimum system: A 13.5 kWp Yingli Solar system using 50 270 W n-type PANDA modules that work well in low light conditions and yield 16.2 MWh annually, combined with 50 Generation 4 Enphase M250 microinverters that suit the various roof angles provides real time updates on the performance of the system to the homeowner. The system also incorporates a Selectronic SP Pro (3 Phase) hybrid battery storage system and Sonnenschein lithium batteries.

IMAGE PROVIDED BY ENVIROGROUP

48 | ISSUE 1 • 2016

Global Solar Council: strength in numbers LATE LAST YEAR at COP21 in Paris solar industry peak bodies joined forces to form the Global Solar Council and to make a difference.

The Australian Solar Council is playing a prominent role and President Steve Blume was elected as a foundation GSC Director. He was present at the launch to meet delegates from all quarters of the globe with one common goal in mind: to elevate solar’s standing worldwide.

One of the Global Solar Council’s primary goals is to eliminate trade barriers within five years, fighting regulatory regimes that slow industry development. The GSC maintains equitable market conditions would see solar grow more than tenfold by 2030.

Speaking at the GSC launch inaugural Chair Bruce Douglas said at “This is an historic moment for solar power … we are now convinced solar power will be the principal power source of the 21st century.”

Level playing field GSC supporter Rachel Kyte of the World Bank has called for a level playing field for solar to replace antiquated regulations that tend to favour utilities. She remarked that solar power’s falling price firmly places the technology at the centre of climate negotiations and says renewable power is critical to “closing the access gap” to energy for the poor.

“An historic moment for solar power … we are now convinced solar power will be the principal power source of the 21st century.”

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S olar Industry Events International Solar Energy and Green Building Conference & Exhibition, & SNEC 10th (2016) International Photovoltaic Power Generation Conference & Exhibition May 24-26, 2016 Shanghai New International Expo Centre www.snec.org.cn

Intersolar Europe June 21-22, 2016 International Congress Centre, Munich, Germany www.intersolar.de

Solar Power International September 12-15, 2016 Las Vegas Convention Center, Nevada US Solar Power Events are produced by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA). All proceeds from the events go straight back into the industry. www.solarpowerinternational.com

PV Conference and Exhibition of China 2016 October 19-21, 2016 China International Exhibition Center, Beijing The 16th China PV Academic Annual Conference http://www.pvcec.org.cn/hg/Default_en.shtml

Intersolar India October 19-21, 2016 Bombay Exhibition Centre Photovoltaics, PV production technologies, energy storage systems and solar thermal technologies. www.intersolar.in

Singapore International Energy Week (SIEW) October 24-28, 2016 Marina Bay Sands, Singapore http://www.siew.sg/

Testing the climate… notable quotes “There is not a contradiction between growth development and being good stewards of the planet.

They are complementary. We have to break out from the mindset that says that if we’re doing something about climate change, that slows growth. We have to accelerate it … more and more companies are realising that climate change presents a new business opportunity … Google, Apple, Cosco are among the world’s largest corporate buyers of renewable energy.”

US President Barack Obama

“Debate rages about the payback times for going off grid, or just installing battery storage. In reality, it depends on so many variables – the location, the orientation of the roof, the consumption pattern of the users, and the local tariffs. Some people will care about payback times, but some people won’t.

What, after all, is the payback of your car, or your sofa, or your swimming pool. Most people don’t know or don’t care. If they want something badly enough, they will buy it. And for many, the idea of energy independence, or energy democracy is an appealing one.”

“Achieving a 36 per cent share of renewable energy in the global energy mix by 2030 would increase global GDP by up to 1.1 per cent, roughly US$1.3 trillion, according to new analysis …. with compelling evidence that achieving the needed energy transition would not only mitigate climate change, but also stimulate the economy, improve human welfare and boost employment worldwide.”

Giles Parkinson, RenewEconomy

International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)

Engineers (UK)

50 | ISSUE 1 • 2016

“As a nation the UK is nowhere near where we should be on energy storage. There is a clear need for massive and urgent attention. Energy storage is one of the obvious solutions to the [decarbonisation] problems we face.”

Prof Ian Arbon, Institute of Mechanical

Green Markets Insight and outlook (Australia) ACCORDING TO GREEN ENERGY MARKETS’ detailed assessment of state government procurement initiatives coupled with ARENA’s large-scale solar auction, Australia can expect more than 1000 MW of largescale renewables projects including 450 MW of large-scale solar to be committed during 2016.

However this will fall short of the Large-scale Renewable Energy Target (RET) which means power retailers (and consequently their customers) will be paying the shortfall penalty, $65 for every megawatt-hour of renewable energy short of the target.

The problem lies with financier confidence, not a lack of economically viable projects; a product of wounded confidence in the finance community due to the RET review and past PM’s anti-renewables agenda.

The Green Energy Market’s December Renewables Report estimated 4400 MW would need to be committed in 2016 to avoid a shortfall in 2018, and stated “we have underestimated the ability of the renewables industry to deliver in the past but this turnaround appears inconceivable”.

During 2016 project commitments are likely to be driven by state governments and government-owned retailers offering contracts that provide long-term price certainty for project developers.

Director – Analysis and Advisory for Green Energy Markets Tristan Edis wrote “It is no doubt deeply disappointing for everyone that Australia will fall short of the target, incurring unnecessarily high LGC prices and penalties when it could have been easily avoided [and] if politicians start talking about tinkering with the scheme yet again they’ll make things worse. The current high LGC prices are acting to lure investors and power retailers out of their bunkers … Alinta’s tender for renewable energy and AGL’s 1000 MW Powering Australian Renewables Fund announcement are promising signs.“ www.greenenergytrading.com.au

Bloomberg: Record US$329 billion global investment in 2015 ACROSS THE WORLD 2015 saw the highest ever installation of renewable

Old fossils: Over the 18 months to the end of 2015, the price of

power capacity, with 64 GW of wind and 57 GW of solar PV commissioned

Brent crude plunged 67 per cent, the price of international steam

during the year, an increase of nearly 30 per cent over 2014.

coal delivered to north west Europe dropped 35 per cent and natural gas in the US fell 48 per cent.

Clean energy investment surged in China, Africa, the US, Latin America and India in 2015, driving the world total to its highest ever figure of US$328.9bn,

“Wind and solar power are now being adopted in many developing

up 4 per cent from 2014’s revised $315.9bn and beating the previous record,

countries … they reduce a country’s exposure to expected future

set in 2011 by 3 per cent.

fossil fuel prices; and above all they can be built very quickly to meet unfulfilled demand for electricity. And it is very hard to see these SOURCE: BLOOMBERG NEW ENERGY FINANCE

trends going backwards in the light of December’s Paris Climate Agreement,” the report read.

Clean energy investment on rooftop and other small-scale solar projects totaled $67.4bn in 2015, up 12 per cent on the previous year, with Japan by far the biggest market, followed by the US and China.

Solar PV saw around 30 per cent more capacity installed worldwide in 2015 than in 2014, totaling about 57 GW. Venture capital and private equity investors pumped $5.6bn into specialist clean energy firms in 2015, up 17 per cent on the 2014 total (but still far below the $12.2bn peak of 2008).

There was $20bn of asset finance in clean energy technologies such as smart grid and utility-scale battery storage, representing an 11 per cent rise on 2014. Government and corporate research and development spending totaled $28.3bn in 2015, up just 1 per cent

Figure 1: Global clean energy investment 2004-15, $ billion

(see Figure 1).

Solar & Storage | 51

Solar advocacy

The voice of Solar and Storage Solar and Energy Storage Council chief executive John Grimes has completed another intensive and productive round of solar programs, projects and advocacy.

Rallying support The Australian Solar Council has launched a major campaign to protect solar families and businesses from unfair solar taxes. This is a vital initiative; given that utilities across Australia are attempting to introduce artificial, unfair and discriminatory taxes on solar energy users. (See main feature on pages 8 and 10.)

We need to step in to prevent higher fees and charges and secure broad market reform that will among other things include transparency.

The campaign initially focuses on Western Australia in the build up to the state election and in early March we held a forum in Perth, which sent a clear message about the strength of support for solar.

Although the monopolistic WA utility failed in its attempt to ‘tax’ solar, we need to keep up the pressure to prevent artificial solar tax now or in the future and we will be staging more forums, meetings and media coverage.

The big theme for the Solar Council this year is smart versus dumb energy. Smart meaning solar and storage and IT applications with zero pollution. Dumb meaning 1950s technology: creaking old power stations, polluting, emitting carbon dioxide.

The change to a decentralised grid, based around solar and storage rather than big centralised generation, is inevitable.

Our objective is to achieve good solar policy from all parties and push back against plans to retrospectively change feed-in tariffs and to minimise discriminatory practices that target solar customers.

Storage roadshows In early December the Energy Storage Council ran a series of energy storage workshops and member updates: in Melbourne, Adelaide, Sydney and Brisbane, supported with presentations by Supply Partners, Sungrow, AEMO, UQ, CEFC and the SA Sustainability Minister. All up we reached more than 600 members across four states.

More recently the Solar Council ran AS/NZS 4777.1 compliance workshops for the benefit of members across the land.

“Our objective is to achieve good solar policy from all parties and push back against plans to retrospectively change feed-in tariffs and minimise discriminatory practices that target solar customers.”

52 | ISSUE 1 • 2016

John Grimes addressing a recent roadshow (above) and right during a media briefing in Queensland

Queensland Storage Summit On page 30 of this magazine we report on the success of the inaugural Energy Storage Council Summit in Brisbane held in mid February.

It’s no secret Queensland is progressing far reaching solar and storage strategies and we have been in deep discussions with the Queensland government to help shape developments.

Out and about Our activities took us across the Tasman Sea to New Zealand during December and January in preparation for the formal launch of the New Zealand and Pacific Solar and Storage Council which took place in early March in Auckland. This represents a strategic move into a region that is fast growing its solar capacity.

The Main Event The Solar Energy Exhibition and Conference, co-located with the Energy Storage Council Conference in early May, brings together innovators, manufacturers, suppliers, installers, academics, agencies and bureaucrats. It’s a real highlight on the annual calendar and I look forward to seeing you there. (See pages 16 & 17 for more information.)

And in a quick wrap: in mid November we supported the two day Australian Energy Storage conference in Sydney; a week later I also presented at Utility Week in Sydney.

We staged a major press conference in Perth in mid February and a few days later I was in Hobart talking to our Tasmanian members.

And as the peak lobby group for solar and storage, I have been constantly involved in interviews with media and have supplied background briefings for a series of radio programs and TV documentaries.

“For me – and the industry in general – the win in WA with the state Premier backing down on Synergy’s solar impost is enormously significant and demonstrates just how effective we can be.”

Striking achievements Someone recently asked about the highlights. For me – and the industry in general – the win in WA with the state Premier backing down on Synergy’s solar impost is enormously significant and demonstrates just how effective we can be.

And in Queensland it took the state Treasurer just one hour to speak to parliament and rule out the Queensland Productivity Commission’s plan for retrospective changes to the state’s feed-in tariff. (See page 10 for more details.)

Another high point is undoubtedly Queensland’s R&D program in concert with industry to develop a strategic plan to make the most of energy storage opportunities. This is extremely positive and bodes well for the energy storage industry.

Large-scale developments The announcement by ARENA to develop 22 large-scale plants has led to a surge in industry confidence and interest, and demonstrates quite clearly that the time for big solar has arrived. Importantly there are many talented local companies and suppliers that can carry out high quality project work in a cost effective manner.

Australia still lacks the political will to push for more renewables – but the time has come.

Hands across the water To mark the launch of the New Zealand and Pacific Solar and Storage Council a half-day summit Challenges to Power System Business Models from Solar and Storage was held in Auckland on March 1.

Presenters addressed: Pacific Energy Independence – Microgrids; Grid Integrated Storage; Utility monitoring at scale; Best Practice in the Pacific; Scale build challenges to the Power System and Business Models from Solar and Storage.

Pictured below: Barbara Elliston (centre) is playing a prominent role driving the NZPSSC agenda along with Solar Council chief executive John Grimes (third from left).

NZPSSC is the industry body dedicated to promoting solar and energy storage throughout New Zealand and the Pacific. Among the goals: ensuring common standards and global best practice across the region, and building local skills and capacity across the region. NZPSSC brings together industry leaders in the Pacific to be a strong voice for solar and energy storage and engage with governments, donors and the industry to promote the best outcomes for the Pacific. On the NZPSSC board of directors are Barbara Elliston (chair) Ewan Gebbie, Robert Matthews, Andrew Tombs, Trevor Foster and Steve Blume. www.nzpssc.org.nz

Solar & Storage | 53

Solar products services

SOLAR & STORAGE MAGAZINE ADVERTISERS’ SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL

Zero export at no extra cost In late March Fronius is planning to release what the Queensland solar industry has been waiting for – zero export at no extra cost. This feature will be available via free online software updates to the Fronius inverter’s Datamanager card.

Solar installers value the many integrated features that the Fronius SnapINverter range offers from 1.5 kW (single phase) to 27 kW (3 phase) string inverters.

Standard features include: • Quick installation with light wall bracket • Easy mounting system where inverters simply “SnapIN” to their bracket • Integrated DC isolator • Wifi monitoring via Fronius Solarweb.com • Energy management control to utilise excess solar • Ability to monitor site loads with additional Fronius Smart Meter This Fronius Smart Meter is also used for zero export implementation.

With this Meter installed in your switchboard, it will communicate energy usage to the Fronius inverter’s Datamanager card. Currently, the software in the Datamanager card will allow the inverter to provide LIMITED export down to a minimum of 10 per cent.

After extensive testing in the field, Fronius will provide 0% export, programmed via a simple Dynamic Power Reduction setting in the Datamanager and accessed through any web browser. Other manufacturers have add-ons for zero export or require third-party controllers which are usually designed for large-scale systems. This can

Diagram 1: Fronius Smart Meter installed in “feed-in point” switchboard to measure net usage of the site

makes for an expensive option, particularly for small to medium commercial solar projects. The Fronius Datamanager can also interface with zero export controllers via communications protocols including Modbus RTU, Modbus TCP, Ripple control receiver, S0 interface. However, the Fronius zero export solution will be provided as a standard feature of the inverter.

For more details contact Fronius Australia via pv-sales-australia@fronius.com Please note: all Fronius Smart Meters and hence all export control functions are only compatible with the Fronius Datamanager V2 card (version 2), which has been available for more than a year.

Opinions expressed on this page are not necessarily those of the Australian Solar Council

Solar + Storage Training Grants The Industry Skills Fund assists industry to invest in training and support services and to develop innovative training solutions. It aims to help businesses to build a highly skilled workforce that can take advantage of new business growth opportunities and adapt to rapid technological change.

Micro, small or medium businesses exploring a growth opportunity which requires new business skills may be eligible for support from the fund. Large businesses and businesses repositioning due to market driven structural adjustment can also apply. The Industry Skills Fund Factsheet provides details of funds and services.

54 | ISSUE 1 • 2016

Call 13 28 46, or complete online enquiry form at www.business.gov.au/industryskillsfund

AUTUMN Solar & Storage Advertisers Advertiser

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LG Solar

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R & J Batteries

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Schneider Electric

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Trade in Green

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Want to reach thousands involved in solar and storage?

Give Brett a call.

Solar & Storage magazine is read by up to 18,000 industry professionals – designers, project managers, installers, technicians, manufacturers and more.

Brett’s name will be familiar to many as he has more than seven years publishing and events experience within the solar industry.

He now brings his skills and expertise to the Australian Solar Council across the range of publications as well as events including the industry’s leading show, the May Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition.

Speaking from an informed viewpoint, Brett says it’s an exciting time for the industry which is making renewables ever more accessible to communities across Australia while re-shaping the future of energy supplies.

With a passion for helping companies to build their brand and market share, Brett looks forward to helping Solar Council members boost their revenues in 2016.

Contact Brett on 0402 181 250 or brett@solar.org.au

Solar Council Corporate Members For full listing of Solar Council Corporate Members see www.solar.org.au

Diamond Members Greenbank Environmental

Silver Corporate Members

Hareon Solar Technology Co, Ltd

ReneSola

DNV-GL

Enphase Energy Inc

Rheem Australia

ÂŽ

CO2markets EnviroGroup Solar Freedom Australia Pty Ltd

Gold Corporate Members

Green Energy Trading

Solargain PV Pty Ltd

ABB Pty Ltd

GO energy Group

Shanghai JA Solar PV Technology Co Ltd

HID Europe SunEdison Infinity Solar

Jim Chisholm Consulting

All Grid Energy

Suntech Apricus Australia Pty Ltd

L&H Solar+Solutions

Power Saving Centre Canberra LG Electronics Australia Pty Ltd

ASM Money

SunPower Corporation Australia

Risen Energy (Australia) Pty Ltd

Trina Solar (Australia) Pty Ltd

Trade in Green

R F Industries Pty Ltd True Value Solar

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