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Redflow batteries in Fiji – to power Digital TV rollout.

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Redflow batteries in Fiji – Redflow Limited have shipped $1.2m of Redflow ZBM2 batteries to assist Fiji in rolling out digital TV for its population, according to a press release by the Brisbane/Thailand based company.

Redflow batteries in Fiji

Auckland-based telecommunications infrastructure company Hitech Solutions will install the Redflow batteries in Fiji and have ordered US $1.2m of Redflow’s ZBM2 zinc-bromine flow batteries to store and supply renewable energy which will then power the island’s digital TV.

Redflow Batteries in Fiji - Hitech CEO Derek Gaeth
Redflow Batteries in Fiji – Hitech CEO Derek Gaeth (source: Redflow Press Release)

Hitech will install 5-60 ZBM2 batteries at more than 10 sites in Fiji. Many of these locations are on hills and don’t have access to the country’s electricity grid, so they require energy storage instead.

Redflow CEO Simon Hackett said in a press release that this repeat large sale (Hitech bought the batteries in two separate orders) shows how ZBM2 batteries can displace conventional lead-acid batteries for network power applications in demanding and/or remote environments. “

We are delighted that Hitech has again chosen Redflow batteries,” he said. “This second major sale confirms the unique advantages of our zinc-bromine flow batteries for this high-workload deployment in the tropics. The ZBM2 excels in hot environments and for applications that require high cycle depth and cycle frequency, such as the deployment Hitech is undertaking. This sort of environment and use case wears out lead-acid batteries in relatively short order, requiring their frequent replacement, whereas ZBM2s thrive on heat and hard work.

“We look forward to working with Hitech to ensure its imminent deployments of remote energy systems are successful in a variety of site sizes.”

Redflow’s 10 kilowatt-hour (kWh) ZBM2 is, according to the manufacturer, the world’s smallest zinc-bromine flow battery. The ZBM2 runs at a native 48 volts DC, which means it’s simple to install and deployable in scalable parallel clusters which means high availability, high scale deployments at the largest sites.

The ZBM2 battery comes with a 10-year or 36,500 kWh warranty – a much longer operating life than lead-acid batteries, which are typically replaced every 18-36 months when used in warm climates.

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Solar Battery Storage could rise 10x – AEMO

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The latest Electricity Statement of Opportunities by the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) forecasts a potential 10x increase in solar battery storage uptake. The statement of operations is produced annually by AEMO and helps them plan for projected installation of solar panels, batteries, and their capacity as the technology increases and Australia continues its march towards our Renewable Energy Target for 2030.

Solar Battery Storage and the AEMO

Solar Battery Storage (source: AEMO/RenewEconomy)
Solar Battery Storage (source: AEMO/RenewEconomy)

AEMO’s 2017 Electricity Statement of Opportunities helps us project the next 10 years of energy generation and runs simulations for different scenarios (changes in solar battery technology or peak demand, for example). It’s worth reading the whole thing but here are some interesting tidbits we picked up around the place:

An interesting note that Renew Economy picked up on is that peak demand (with an average of around 3,700MW for the last ten years) was at its second lowest level since 2009 in 2017 – largely in thanks to the high numbers of rooftop solar systems installed throughout the country. Being able to manage peak demand means that infrastructure won’t be as expensive and we simply don’t need as much energy – so it’s a great result!

Cameron Parrotte, the boss of AEMO in Western Australia, discussed the situation and what it means for Aussies:

“While there have been recent retirements of some fossil-fueled generators, new renewable generation capacity is enabling the RCT to be met within the defined reliability standard, and with significantly lower excess capacity than historically recorded”

There’s also some great news for Western Australian solar power, where the grid includes a ‘capacity market’ – making it a bit different than the other states. The report projects that the current amount of live and committed generation resources will meet forecast peak demand in the state’s South West interconnected system (SWIS), despite around 400MW of coal, gas and diesel being replaced by approximately the same amount of rooftop solar, large-scale wind and large-scale solar. If you want to read more about the Wholesale Electricity Market in Western Australia please click here.

Some great news for Australia’s energy future. There’s no doubt that we’ll see more and higher capacity solar batteries installed in houses over the next ten years, let’s see how accurate those projections are!

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Senec.Home Intelligent Energy System in Australia

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German company Senec has been shipping its products to Australia since early last year, and today we will take a look at the Senec solar battery range – according to the site one of these systems can increase your power self-sufficiency to 80% or more. Let’s take a look and see how they stack up against some of the other solar battery competitors. 

The Senec.Home Smart Energy Management System

Senec Solar Battery
SENEC.Home (source: SENEC)

Energy storage technology has been coming along in leaps and bounds lately – we’ve seen the standard lithium-ion swapped out with hydrogen, perovskite, zinc bromine and other materials. These batteries are lithium ion based as it still remains the most mature technology but it’s important to keep an eye out to see what’s around the corner. Who knows where the tech will take us! 

The Senec.Home is an ‘all in one’ system which includes a Senec inverter, a battery management system and battery modules. You need to manage the solar panels yourself, so make sure you have that planned out before you go and buy everything! Ask your retailer if there’s a good synergy between the system you’ve chosen because it’s an expensive exercise to try and swap or add more solar panels to an existing installation.

Here are some of the benefits of this system:

  • Engineered for 12,000 recharging cycles. This is double the capacity of its unnamed ‘nearest competitor’ (not the Tesla Powerwall 2 as it’s rated for ‘unlimited’ cycles)
  • The SENEC.Home Li system is an automated management system for the panels + battery. It manages your power needs without you doing a thing.
  • Australian service and support, but designed, manufactured and assembled entirely in Germany (except for the Panasonic battery modules).
  • Panasonic manufactured battery with 2.5kWh, 5.0kWh, 7.5kWh, and 10.0kWh options (“depending on the loading and unloading conditions”).
  • 98% maximum battery efficiency. 
  • Soon they’ll have a backup function so the Senec.Home can work when the grid goes down.
  • Up to four units can be daisy-chained to create your own microgrid.

After hosting a product launch last year for the system, it looks like demand for the product has been quite high. The price varies depending on a few factors so please get in touch with your retailer to discuss specifics. 

Click here to download the SENEC Intelligent Energy System Brochure and Specs.

If you’re interested in getting in contact, try  (08) 6280 1206 or  (+618) 6280 1206 if you’re not in Australia. Otherwise you can visit their site by clicking here. 

Have you got any experience or feedback with installing, buying, or running these systems? Please let us know about how you’re finding it in the comments. 

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Redflow Thai-stack batteries ZBM2 – filling backorders.

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Redflow, who moved their battery manufacturing to Thailand last year, have announced that the first Redflow Thai-stack batteries are now fully complete and ready for customers to purchase. The ZBM2 zinc-bromine flow battery is Redflow’s flagship energy storage product – it looks like it’s almost ready to debut their Thai manufactured version. 

Redflow Thai-stack batteries now ready for customers

Redflow Thai-stack batteries ZBM2
The first Redflow Thai-stack batteries (ZBM2)
 
According to a press release on the Redflow website, the Thai-made battery stacks were installed on pre-existing ZBM2 battery tank sets and thoroughly tested – passing all pre-delivery tests with flying colours. As such, these completed batteries are now ready to supply existing customer orders. 
 
We reported back in January that they had completed their first battery stacks so it’s great to see them now fully complete and ready to start filling orders of (presumably very patient) customers. Redflow announced in December last year that they had successfully started manufacturing core components for the zinc-bromine flow batteries at its new production facility – so it’s been a fast and relatively seamless transition over to Thailand. Hopefully the lower operating costs can help make these batteries compete with other ‘big name’ options such as the Powerwall 2 or the BYD B-Box. 
 
Redflow CEO Richard Aird was quoted in the press release as discussing how the  ZBM2 batteries with Thai-made battery stacks have passed the most “critical” hurdle, are now ready to start filling backorders and it should be easier from here:  “Our first requirement of the new factory is quality components, which it is now producing in the electrode stack – the most complex and critical part of our product,” he said.

“Our pre-delivery tests have confirmed that these complete batteries, using Thai-made stacks and existing battery tank sets, perform to standard, so we are now scheduling deliveries to start supplying outstanding back orders.”

 
 
 

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Red Earth Energy Storage – Product Overview

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Red Earth Energy Storage are a Brisbane based company supplying sealed VRLA (lead acid) energy storage modules. They offer three different types of battery depending on whether you need to be grid connected or not. The batteries are modular up to 25kW and all have a five year warranty. Let’s take a further look at their storage options below!

Red Earth Energy Storage

The Red Earth Lead Acid based products can accommodate sizes from 200Ah to 1000Ah. Depth of discharge has a large effect on the lifespan of a lead acid battery – so you should take note of the recommended depth of discharge for your battery – discuss this with the RedEarth engineering staff before you place your order so you know how to get the most out of your battery. But have a look at the image below (provided by RedEarth) for a basic understanding of what you can expect depending on the battery size on your system.

Red Earth Energy Storage Lead Acid VRLA Battery Depth of Discharge Chart
Redearth Lead Acid VRLA Battery Depth of Discharge Chart

Let’s take a look at their three different product lines:

M Series

RedEarth M Series
RedEarth M Series

The M Series provides up to 10kWh of usable storage at 8kW. They offer up to 8kW / 12kW peak via lead acid sealed VRLA batteries (8 x 6V VRLA gel). If you prefer they do have lithium or zinc bromide options. 

  • 5 Year Replacement Warranty
  • Full Remote Monitoring and control via 3G/4G/Wifi
  • On/Off Grid
  • Under eves footprint – no need for battery room or concrete slab. Maintenance free.

Click here to download the M Series Fact Sheet.

S Series

RedEarth S Series
RedEarth S Series

The S Series are an 8kW off-grid electricity storage system that offer up to 3kW / 4.8kW peak via sealed VRLA batteries (8 x 6V VRLA gel up to 443Ah). If you prefer they do have lithium or zinc bromide options. 

  • 5 Year Replacement Warranty
  • Full Remote Monitoring and control via 3G
  • Weatherproof, standalone system which can manage multiple power sources.
  • Modular
  • 650kg

Click here to download the S Series Fact Sheet.

L Series

RedEarth L Series
RedEarth L Series

The L Series is a weatherproof standalone battery system to manage multiple power sources, loads and batteries. It is an on grid or off grid solution and provides up to 33kWh of storage at 8kW/12kW peak via 24x 2V VRLA gel lead acid batteries.  

  • 5 Year Replacement Warranty
  • Hybrid or Standard storage system.
  • Modular – scope up as needed. 
  • Full Remote Monitoring and control via 3G/4G/Wifi

Click here to download the L Series Fact Sheet.

If you’re interested in or have any questions about any of these products please contact us or click here to visit their website.

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