Dunsborough Community Energy Project – Virtual Power Plant

Posted on October 17, 2018 by Mike — No Comments ↓

The Dunsborough Community Energy Project is currently offering no upfront cost solar in Western Australia – all for the flat fee of $35/week – inviting south-west Western Australia residents to join their 6.5MW virtual power plant.

Dunsborough Community Energy Project

This Dunsborough Community Energy Project has been established as a joint effort between Perth-based company Redback Energy, investment outfit SUSI Partners and Perth law firm Jackson Macdonald. It already has over 60 signups to their virtual power plant and hope to reach 1000 by the end of the year. The goal of their project is to allow all members to be 90% renewable inside their homes. It’s a realistic goal, and they have partnered with some fantastic companies to deliver a really powerful product offering:

According to a post on RenewEconomy, people who sign up to the Dunsborough Community Energy Project will receive:

7kW of solar PV (Suntech panels)
Redback 5.5 KVA inverter
9.6kWh Pylontech (LiFePo4) batteries

The community’s goal is to reach 1,000+ Redback solar and battery storage systems in the area (Dunsborough and Yallingup). Over the 10-20 year lifespan of the project ‘additional income and dividends’ are expected to raise up to $8m which can then be spent on lowering energy costs further or giving back to local community projects.

The official website states that Redback Energy will give $250 towards a ‘community fund’ for each system sold. This fund will then be distributed “…to fund local community projects in schools, sporting clubs and or other projects such as a Dunsborough community pool.” A great idea and fantastic to see Redback supporting the local economy in more ways than one!

Click here to view the official website of the project and learn more about it.

You can also learn more about Virtual Power Plants or Community Solar across Australia by clicking!

Redback Solar raise $7m in capital for R&D

Posted on October 19, 2017 by Mike — No Comments ↓

Redback Solar news – Brisbane based solar tech startup Redback Technologies has raised $7m in capital from the Clean Energy Innovation Fund. The company will use the investment to expand its R&D, improve its ‘smart software suite’ and hire more staff.

Redback Solar’s Capital Raising

Dynamic Business are reporting that the Clean Energy Innovation Fund (a partnership between the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) and the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA)) has invested $5 million USD (approximately $6.43 million AUD) into Redback Technologies.

Around the same time, Right Click Capital’s Growth Fund has invested $2m USD (~$2.57 million AUD) into Redback along with offering their specialised experience to assist in Redback’s planned expansion into the Asia-Pacific region. The Right Click Capital Growth Fund, as per their website, have ‘deep experience starting and scaling technology businesses’ and are looking to back ‘ambitious technology businesses’ so it looks like a perfect fit.

Right Click Capital Partner Benjamin Chong spoke a little about why they chose to invest in Redback, advising that “The inherent inefficiencies within the energy sector in Australia makes it ripe for disruption. Redback Technologies is uniquely positioned to seize this opportunity, with the power to provide everyday Australians with an alternative, low-cost solution to energy generation, storage and consumption. “We are excited by the solid track record of Redback’s management team and the firm’s ability to leverage technology to provide intelligent energy management solutions for households and businesses in Australia and beyond.”

Founder and MD of Redback Technologies, Richard Livingston, was excited about the investment and spoke about the impact it would have on stimulating Redback Technology’s products, software, and expansion. “This investment will enable us to further develop our next generation energy intelligence platform and devices and further cement our vision to ensure Australian households and businesses are entirely powered by renewables.” Livingston was quoted as saying.

Redback Solar – 2017 Movements

Redback Technologies launched the Redback Smart Hybrid System with EnergyAustralia early last month – with a ‘normal household’ with usage of 8000kWh / year to save around $1,500 a year with the system (4.9kW solar array and 3.3kWh battery). They received $9.3 million from EnergyAustralia last year for this – seeing Redback’s Generation 2 Smart Hybrid System offered to EnergyAustralia’s 1.7 million customers in Victoria, NSW, QLD, the ACT, and South Australia.

Redback Solar - Capital Raising 2017 — The Redback Solar team at a trade show in 2017 (source: Redback Technologies Facebook)

It’s obvious that Redback have a fantastic team and product – they’re growing rapidly and multiple teams have invested in them – we’re excited to see where these Brisbane locals end up!

Redback Technologies Product Range

Posted on July 13, 2017 by Mike — No Comments ↓

One of the most exciting solar companies in Queensland is Redback Technologies, based in Indooroopilly. They’ve got a great product and have been moving in very exciting directions over the last 18 months – we’re looking to seeing what the future brings for this young company.

About Redback Technologies

Have a look at the video below which introduces Redback Technologies, their founder and MD Philip Livingston, and explains more about their partnership with EnergyAustralia.

Redback Technologies were founded in 2015 and are, according to their LinkedIn profile, ‘a technology company focused on the development of advanced, low cost solar solutions for residential and commercial users’. They offer market leading integrated hardware and software technologies.

Redback were recently in the news for being granted $1.96 million by the QLD Government as they inked an MoU to bring their tech to Dubai. You can read our report on that by clicking here. Livingston was also ‘bullish’ on the recent Tesla South Australia deal – being quoted as saying “More storage rather than less is a good thing. Having storage in the grid as a buffer is good for consumers. Mr Musk is a role model for many of us in the way he approaches things.”.

Redback Technologies Product Range

Redback are currently offering their Smart Hybrid Solar Inverter System with Battery Enclosure.

It consists of:

6kW Solar Panel Input
4.6kW inverter
UPS and backup power included
Compatible with ‘a variety of batteries’
Able to install inside or outside, floor or wall mounted.
Constructed from ‘high grade aluminium’.
Inverter is IP65 rated.

It’s different from standard solar + storage systems in that they use Redback’s proprietary software and don’t lock you into using a specific battery – there are a number of popular 2.4kWh storage options you can slot into the enclosure.

Learn more about the Generation II Hybrid by visiting the Redback Website.

The Smart Hybrid Battery Enclosure is also well constructed and fits a number of energy storage batteries – it consists of:

4 x 19″ 2 rack mountable battery packs
Up to 9.6kWh storage capacity (4 x 2.4kWh batteries)
Passive and active cooling
Smart temperature control
IP54 rated environmental protection rating
<25dB noise emissions
Prewired – easy installation.

Perhaps the ‘jewel’ in the crown of Redback’s offerings is their advanced solar power management software – entitled ‘Ouija Board’ – which you can learn about in the video above.

With Ouija Board you can remotely control inverters from an app or a web portal – and it’s upgradeable for both software and hardware (firmware) via wi-fi or 4g (optional). It has relay support for pool pumps and water heaters, smart load scheduling, supports IoT (Internet of Things) devices, and is customisable for peak time tariff support. The Ouija board provides some amazing ‘intelligent technology’ to help store, monitor and manage your home’s solar energy. We’re working on getting some screenshots and sample reports from Redback – some of the insight they offer into your power usage can save hundreds (or thousands) of dollars.

Buy Redback Technologies Solar

If you’re interested in purchasing anything from the Redback range please fill out the form to the right of this article and we’ll be in touch with some ways we can help you invest in solar while using a quality local company with great products and a local warranty.

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Dunsborough Community Energy Project – Virtual Power Plant