Home › Archive for Solar Battery › Page 4

Solar Battery

Redflow Thai-stack batteries ZBM2 – filling backorders.

Posted on by — No Comments ↓

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.”

 
 
 

Read More Solar News:

Red Earth Energy Storage – Product Overview

Posted on by — No Comments ↓

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.

Read More Solar News:

sonnenProtect 1300/2500 blackout protection

Posted on by — No Comments ↓

A big week for German battery manufacturing company sonnen who have announced the sonnenBatterie Protect 1300 – also known as the sonnenProtect. This smart device links with an existing sonnen solar battery and detects mains power outages – at which point it quickly and safely switches you across to use your battery storage for selected appliances. They also have the sonnenProtect 2500, which comes with 2.5kW of power output as opposed to the 1.3kW the 1300 offers. 

A common misconception about solar+storage is that you’ll have power during a blackout. Without something like the sonnen Protect this isn’t the case. 

sonnenProtect aka Sonnen Protect 2500
sonnenProtect aka Sonnen Protect 1300/2500 (source: sonnen)

sonnenProtect 1300, 2500 – Sonnen Protect

The sonnen Protect is installed close to the battery system and offers up to 1.3kW of power output (i.e. you can’t run a bunch of air conditioners off it but it’ll keep a modern fridge up and keep your lights on, run a laptop, charge your phone, run fans, etc.). It will give you a single protected power point – from here, depending on your budget, you can use extension cords and plug boards through your house, run cables to defined backup power points, or even run new cables in your walls to defined power points. Keep in mind that with the current option each power point will be limited to 2.5kW load or 1.3kW with the sonnen 1300.

The device can be retrofitted to all existing sonneBatterie Eco models, which are modular and start at just 2kWh up to 16kWh in the same cabinet. You can chain multiple cabinets together if you need more than that. 

sonnen made the news last year with their ‘free power’ offering via the sonnenFlat service, so this is another great offering from a renewable energy giant (they are the world’s largest home storage battery company)

Sonnen Protect Specifications, Size, Price

  • 15cm wide
  • 19cm high
  • 12cm deep
  • 800grams

Depending on what sort of solution you’d like (with regards to power points and running new wires in the walls), the install for a sonnenProtect 2500 is generally under $1,000 AUD.

If you’re interested in the sonnenProtect for your house please shoot us an email at [email protected] or fill out the form to your right and we’ll be in touch.

Download sonnenProtect 1300 datasheet (click here to download)

Download sonnenProtect 2500 datasheet (click here to download)

Download sonnenProtect 2500 Operating Instructions (click here to download)

Read More Solar News:

sonnen in South Australia – HQ, manufacturing plant.

Posted on by — No Comments ↓

sonnen in South Australia – the German battery manufacturing giant (which is also the world’s largest home storage energy company) have announced that they’re going to move their Australian headquarters from Sydney to Adelaide. The announcement was made last week during a huge week for renewables in SA – with the upcoming election both major parties have promised $100m in solar loans for South Australian residents.  

sonnen in South Australia

Along with the administrative tasks (i.e. the ‘headquarters’) of sonnen’s Australian operations, they’ll also be setting up a full energy storage manufacturing facility in the state.

Chris Parratt, the Australian boss of sonnen’s Australasian business, said the company will have a solar battery manufacturing facility ‘up and running’ in Adelaide within six to nine months.  According to the Australian Financial Review, Parratt says the facility will be able to produce 10,000 systems a year, including sonnen’s flagship sonnenBatterie line. He noted that they are looking at four separate locations in Adelaide, including the former Holden car manufacturing site and the former Mitsubishi car-making factory in Tonsley Park precinct. 

sonnen in South Australia
sonnen in South Australia – sonnenBatterie eco 8.2 (source: sonnen.com.au)

Parratt noted that sonnen have set up a similar facility in Atlanta in the United States of America in a fast timeline last year telling a press conference (along with South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill) that they’re confident in scope management:

“We believe in about six to nine months we’ll be producing our first energy storage system,” he said. 

sonnen already have 30,000 household batteries installed in Germany, making them the world’s largest home storage energy company. 

It looks like this will go ahead regardless of whether Weatherill’s incumbent party or the South Australian Liberal leader Steven Marshall wrests control of the state – the latter is against renewable energy targets but has also committed to a $100m means-tested subsidy for up to 40,000 households to get interest free solar loans. 

Weatherill was quick to extol the employment ramifications of the move, having been told he was “doubling down to chase his losses” by federal energy minister Josh Frydenberg last week with regards to raising the RET from 50% to 75%:

“We saw yesterday I was accused of being a problem gambler. Well today, South Australia has hit the jobs jackpot,” Mr Weatherill said, referring to Sonnen’s plans, which will create 130 new immediate jobs, rising to 190 by the end of the year, and then another 300 jobs for trades people to install the batteries.

It’s shaping up to be a very interesting election in South Australia. Who are you voting for, and why? Let us know in the comments. 

 
 

Read More Solar News:

Redflow in Thailand – Produce First Battery Stacks

Posted on by — No Comments ↓

Redflow in Thailand – we reported last year on their decision to move manufacturing of the Redflow zinc-bromine flow batteries to Thailand. Today they have emailed out a press release advising that they’ve successfully produced the first battery electrode stacks from the new factory southeast of Bangkok at the Hemaraj Chonburi Industrial Estate. 

Redflow in Thailand

Redflow in Thailand - Battery Production Milestone Reached
Redflow in Thailand – Battery Production Milestone Reached (source: redflow.com)

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 – with the successful production of electrode inserts made of HDPE (High-Density Polyethylene) plastic at their Thai factory.

Today’s press release noted that they’ve now successfully produced battery electrode stacks – a key component of the ZBM2 zinc-bromine flow battery. The stacks involve using electrodes that charge and discharge the battery by “plating” and “deplating” zinc on a membrane. This process means the membrane is able to sustain 10 kilowatt-hours of energy storage capacity throughout the battery’s operating life, which  is estimated at 10 years of 36,500 kWh of delivered energy (whichever comes first). Keep in mind that battery performance and lifetime won’t be sensitive to cycle depth as there are no limitations due to the nature of zinc-bromine flow batteries. They’ll deliver 100% depth of discharge every day for their warranted time and this doesn’t cause any damage to the battery. 

According to the Redflow Limited Managing Director and CEO Richard Aird, the process has been smooth sailing so far: 

“The manufacturing team is very happy with the consistent quality and acceptable yield metrics of the stack line,” he said in the press release. 

As per Redflow’s manufacturing timeline, they are well on track to be able to produce complete batteries by June of this year. 

It’s been a brave move for Simon Hackett’s Redflow, who have had a challenging 2017 and made some tough operating decisions for the new year. We’ll keep you updated as to how production goes for their batteries. 

Read More Solar News: