German battery manufacturer Sonnen has launched its “bill shock” busting solar and storage energy package, SonnenFlat, in Victoria.
The fixed price deal offers households who install a sonnenbatterie with rooftop solar (and a smart meter) a flat monthly rate for their electricity, starting at $42 a month.
The Victorian launch gives the Royal Dutch Shell-owned company’s SonnenFlat program access to all of the eastern NEM states, including Tasmania, New South Wales, the ACT, Queensland and South Australia.
And it gives Sonnen more scope to push the energy package, which is yet to take off in Australia, despite the company’s battery sales numbering well over 3,000 by the first quarter of this year.
The idea, as Sonnen’s Asia Pacific CEO Nathan Dunn explained to One Step on Thursday, is to give household the advantage of knowing how much they’re going to pay for their electricity every month.
It works by sonnen offering a guaranteed annual energy allowance through sonnenFlat including solar, storage and grid energy usage for a fixed fee.
Packages range from 7,500kWh for $42 per month, 10,000kWh for $52 per month and 12,500kWh for $62 per month.
“Each one of the customers that we sign up, we have a discussion about which plan will suit them, going by the capacity of battery they’ve got, how much solar, their current load,” says Dunn.
“Recommendations might be either to upgrade the capacity of their battery, add more solar, or just to go on x plan, because what they have got will be enough. And there’s no lock-in contract.”
For Australians, who – if we are to believe the media and politicians – rank high electricity prices among their top cost of living concerns, it should be an attractive proposition.
But, as Dunn puts it, “it’s still a work in progress.” And meanwhile, the company’s batteries are gaining popularity.
As he told Giles Parkinson in March, Sonnen expects to “easily” double its sales of batteries within the next 12 months.
Uptake – which had been led by New South Wales households – is particularly taking off in South Australia, since the establishment of a manufacturing facility in the old Holden car plant in Adelaide.
“The support that we get from local consumers is great,” Dunn said. “That investment proposition seems to be really paying off.”
On SonnenFlat, Dunn says the key hurdle for the company is to educate Australian consumers – and not just about the savings they can make, but the choices they can make that, over time, will help Australia to transition to clean energy.
As we have reported previously on One Step, Sonnen sees its energy deal to be as much about empowering customers and capturing market share, as becoming a player in the national electricity market.
Ultimately, it hopes to use its network of behind the meter battery storage, solar and smarts as a “virtual power plant” to provide valuable grid-balancing services.
As the company’s former regional boss Chris Parratt told One Step in 2017, it would take just 500 installations in any one state to build up enough capacity to draw on to play in the frequency control and ancillary services (FCAS) market.
But it’s a long way from that yet. And as Dunn notes this week, more stable national policy and a willing and able incumbent distribution and generation industry would help matters, greatly.
“It would be wonderful if there was a federal government that was actually providing some level of support … and driving Australia towards a clean energy future,” he told One Step.
But, he notes, “as an industry, we have done fairly well over the last 10-15 years with the lack of support that has come from federal government.
“It’s up to us to educate the consumers, they can still make their choice. In the first instance, they can cut costs, but over time, the can help Australia make the low-carbon transition.
“And as much as we have to educate our customers, we’ve also got to do the same thing with some of our distribution and generation networks.
“I think they still have to be convinced. A lot of the products out there at the moment are not necessarily helpful products for DNSPs. Whereas SonnenFlat is helpful.”
Energy Stuff helps provide battery solutions to residential and small commercial solar systems. Our battery ready systems range from small to very large depending on client needs. There batteries can be internal and external installations with weatherproof storage available.
Home batteries for solar power is a booming industry tipped to be worth $850 billion, and this Aussie start-up has taken a gamble to get in on the action.
Melbourne-based company Zenaji believes it has developed a world best battery product for residential solar installations that promises homeowners a much longer lasting and safer energy storage solution compared to many alternatives on the market.
Australian households have one of the highest rates of rooftop solar panels in the world, and a growing number of companies are looking to capitalise on the demand for renewable energy and self-sufficient homes.
Because of this, Australia is tipped to become a leader in battery storage — a booming industry projected to be worth about $850 billion in the coming years.
And Dawson Johns, managing director of marketing at Zenaji, is hoping for a piece of the pie.
About three years ago, the company set out to find the best battery solution for storing solar energy. The commonplace lithium-ion battery has established itself as the default battery tech in products from mobile phones and laptops to electric vehicles. The majority of new home energy storage solutions also use some form of lithium-ion chemical composition.
But Zenaji has gone with a different battery technology the company thinks will prove superior for solar energy providers in the long term.
“We patented a way of putting (batteries) under the panels, but one of the problems with putting them under the panels was temperature,” Mr Johns told news.com.au. “You couldn’t put lithium-ion batteries under there, so we started looking around at all the possible technologies.”
After searching around for a few years, the company’s engineers landed on lithium-titanate (LTO) batteries.
The LTO battery is basically a modified lithium-ion battery that uses lithium-titanate nanocrystals on the surface of its anode instead of carbon. The electrode material used is known to have exceptional electrochemical stability and is seen to not have the overheating risk of certain lithium-ion batteries. They also provide a much longer lifespan and have advantages in fast charging.
“We came to the conclusion that these are the right batteries for solar rather than lithium-ion batteries,” Mr Johns said. “It’s the titanium that makes all the difference.”
“Then we started asking ourselves, if we’ve seen this, why hasn’t everybody else?”
He believes it’s down to the high price the batteries once demanded. LTO batteries were initially produced by Toshiba about a decade ago, Mr Johns explained, but were 10 times the price of standard lithium-ion batteries.
Eventually, Zenaji came across one battery cell manufacturer in China that had got the price down and pursued LTO tech as a viable alternative.
In the long run, Zenaji believes it will provide better value thanks to the higher number of cycles and overall longevity of the battery technology.
“With lithium-ion you might get eight to 10 years on a solar installation,” Mr Johns said. Zenaji batteries, however, come with a warranty for 20 years.
“You can cycle that battery every day in that 20 years, top to bottom — absolute maximum to absolute minimum — three times a day, and we warrant the battery will be better than 80 per cent of its original capacity 20 years from now,” he said.
“You can’t do that with any other lithium battery. Not even close.”
The downside of LTO batteries is their heavy weight. They’re about twice the weight of a standard lithium-ion battery — a reason they’re not used in cars and electronics. But the extra weight doesn’t necessarily matter when it comes to home solar storage.
“We believe they’re the only economical battery,” Mr Johns said.
The Zenaji batteries are modular in design and come in narrow 2 kilowatt packs that people can link together and store inside or outside the home.
The batteries, although heavier, are designed to be able to be carried by two people. They can be installed inside or outside the home.Source:Supplied
A chief concern for the company was safety — something that has been an issue for makers of lithium-ion battery packs designed to be installed in the home.
In early 2017, Standards Australia suggested products such as Tesla’s Powerwall home battery should be banned from being installed inside homes or garages for fear they could be a fire hazard. The proposed guidelines were never taken up and were widely criticised, but concerns still remain from some sections of the community, such as firefighters, the batteries could self ignite.
That’s not an issue with LTO batteries. “With LTO batteries you can bend them, put them in a crash, put a bullet through them, and it doesn’t matter,” Mr Johns said.
The company is in the process of finalising deals with distributors both in Australia and overseas markets but has yet to announce any partnerships.
While Mr Johns couldn’t provide details on pricing, he admits they will be more expensive than many other home battery options for solar systems but insists the long-term benefits are worthwhile. The LTO batteries produced by Zenaji will likely cost consumers about 30 percent more, but if the company can find some success, the batteries could be an enticing option for homeowners in a burgeoning industry.
Energy Stuff specialises in Residential Solar with emphasis on Repairs, Replacements and upgrades. We also provide new systems, battery storage, Small Commercial, Off-Grid systems and smart monitoring systems. Energy Stuff is a Clean Energy Council Member and only uses CEC accredited installers. We fully comply with the Victorian Govt. Solar Rebate Program and we are supporting clients in their applications to the new scheme starting July 1st 2019.
Canberra businesses would be given rebates of up to $5000 to install solar panels under a new ACT government scheme.
Under the scheme, businesses would be subsidised to install the solar panels following consultations with energy efficiency body Actsmart.
The government would then cover half the cost of the solar panels, up to $5000.
Businesses would only be able to access the rebate after they had committed financially to other energy-saving measures, such as changing lighting to more energy-efficient bulbs, as part of Actsmart’s Business Energy and Water Program.
The scheme only applies to businesses with a maximum of 20 employees and an annual electricity bill of up to $25,000.
The scheme would also apply to eligible community groups.
ACT Climate Change and Sustainability Minister Shane Rattenbury said the rebate scheme would allow for more businesses to reduce their power bill as Canberra heads into another cold winter.
“We know that Canberra households are taking up solar options in droves, doing their bit for the planet while keeping energy costs down,” Mr Rattenbury said.
“Now, more businesses and other community organisations can reap the benefits of rooftop solar.”
The launch of the rebate scheme came after a trial began in February this year, with more than 50 businesses and community organisations taking part.
Of those, 10 would receive the subsidised solar panel following the trial.
Among them was the Weston Creek Uniting Church, which had 40 solar panels installed two weeks ago.
The church’s treasurer Simon Hearder said the church signed up for the rebates after their energy bill doubled in the past two years.
“We’re hoping to halve our bill in the immediate future, and in three to four years time, we’re hoping for even less than that,” Mr Hearder said.
“The church hall is used for activities by other groups every day, and people are very pleased that we’re going ahead with the solar panels as it will lower the operating cost of the hall to everyone.”
The solar panels will be turned on at the church in the coming days.
The new solar rebate is the latest in a long line of schemes in the ACT aiming to boost renewable energy use.
The scheme for businesses and community groups is similar to a program introduced last year aimed at low-income households.
Participants in that scheme were offered a 50 per cent rebate of up to $2500 to install then solar panels, with an interest-free loan of three years for homeowners.
The ACT government was also supporting the roll out of 5000 solar battery storage systems in Canberra homes and businesses.
Those with a battery can get a rebate of $825 per kilowatt up to 30 kilowatts.
The scheme aimed to reward early adopters of the technology, with $25 million in grants available for those who installed the batteries by 2020.
A further $4 million in grants was set aside by the government to subsidise the cost of installing the batteries.
Many Canberra homes with solar panels installed are still subsidised by the government’s feed-in tariff scheme.
The scheme closed off to new participants in 2011, such was the demand, with it paying as much as 50 cents per kilowatt hour.
More than 10,000 homes signed up to the premium tariffs.
Mr Rattenbury said the new rebate scheme would put the ACT on target to meet its 100 per cent renewable energy target by 2020.
“By supporting more Canberrans to make the solar switch, we’re bringing bills down and putting our climate first,” he said.
Energy Stuff specialises in Residential Solar with emphasis on Repairs, Replacements and upgrades. We also provide new systems, battery storage, Small Commercial, Off-Grid systems and smart monitoring systems. Energy Stuff is a Clean Energy Council Member and only uses CEC accredited installers. We fully comply with the Victorian Govt. Solar Rebate Program and we are supporting clients in their applications to the new scheme starting July 1st 2019.
Rooftop solar industry veterans say Australia has become a dumping ground for poor-quality solar products and some are questioning the regulatory oversight of household rooftop solar installers and products.
An audit of the Clean Energy Regulator (CER) by the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) late last year found it is likely there are potentially tens of thousands of badly installed and even unsafe systems on rooftops.
Not only are these systems risky, it is likely they are not producing the clean energy that Australia’s renewable energy target relies on.
About one in five Australian homes has installed rooftop solar.
The ANAO found 1.2 per cent of rooftop solar installations have been inspected by the regulator.
The regulator’s inspections found that about one in six solar installations was “substandard”, and about one in 30 was “unsafe”.
Based on the sample, the audit found there would be hundreds of thousands of substandard installations and tens of thousands of unsafe solar systems across the country.
On the day 7.30 visited Mr Leighton’s property, Johann Fleury’s company Thirroul Solar was removing the panels and replacing them.
“These can’t be fixed. There’s no way of reversing the issue that they have with them,” Mr Fleury said.
“So they are basically just dead panels.”
It is not a job he likes doing.
The panels he was taking down will most likely end up at the tip, as there was nowhere nearby to recycle them.
Mr Fleury was just one of dozens of solar installers 7.30 spoke to who said poor-quality rooftop solar was all too common.
“A large amount of those earlier panels, since I’d say 2008 all the way till 2014, a lot of those panels have come back down off roofs,” he said.
He is worried about the reputation of the rooftop solar industry, with poor-quality systems that may only last a couple of years leaving customers disappointed and out of pocket.
“There’s a lot of things that are wrong or negative within the solar industry,” he said.
In Canberra, Dr Michelle McCann runs one of the few laboratories in Australia that conducts commercial testing for solar panels.
“We’re in a pretty good position to assess how panels are performing across the whole of Australia, simply because we are one of the few options in Australia,” she said.
“We have found that the performance is really variable across Australia. Some are fine, great, and some are really poor.”
Dr McCann said even new panels from high-end brands may not perform as well as expected, and often manufacturing faults are not visible to the naked eye.
“You can’t tell from the outside of a panel whether it’s going to be good or bad, and you can’t tell by looking at the brand name of a panel whether it’s going to be good or bad,” she said.
One of the worst-performing panels she had tested from the Australian market was a panel that produced 12 per cent less electricity than its advertised rating.
“[That] raises questions then about what that panel’s going to do after one year, or three or five years, let alone 25 years in the field,” she said.
Dr McCann said some overseas manufacturers were sending poor-quality solar products to Australia, knowing they would not be checked.
“What we can conclude is that in some cases, unfortunately they know that we are not really checking the quality of what is coming into Australia always, and there are a lot of companies out there … some of them are cutting corners where they can to make extra money.”
She said Australia does not have a rigorous culture of testing imported solar products.
“When there’s no expectation that your product will be checked, then there’s a little bit more flexibility … to ship out the poorer-performing product that inevitably results from any production line.
“Australian consumers are notorious, and known overseas, for caring a lot about price and not caring about quality, and when that happens you get the cheaper product. And the cheaper product is not the better-performing product.”
The acting commander of Fire Investigation and Analysis at Melbourne’s Metropolitan Fire Brigade (MFB), Steve Attard, says homes can be destroyed in fires that have been caused by rooftop solar systems.
“People are losing their homes, and a lot of the homes, by the time we get to the scene of the fire, the fire travel has destroyed at least the roof compartment,” he told 7.30.
“We always see the worst-case scenario.”
He knows of 25 fires in the Melbourne metropolitan area in the past five years that were started by problems with rooftop solar.
He said there is a particular issue with one safety measure that was introduced in Victoria in 2005, and then nationally in 2012.
It is a switch called a DC isolator that can be installed on roofs to shut off the flow of power from solar panels.
“Most people aren’t aware these isolators do exist up on the roof until there is an issue, and these are the ones we’re being cautious about because they’re exposed to the elements,” Mr Attard said.
“Moisture does get inside, even if they’re installed correctly. We have condensation building up inside these units and getting into the electrics and then giving us grief.”
He said fires in these units can spread across roofs before anyone notices.
“Certain brands have been recalled, but there’s still a number of the old isolators still out in service, which at some point in time will pose a risk.”
Low-quality solar no problem, Clean Energy Council says
One of the renewable energy industry’s peak bodies, the Clean Energy Council (CEC), has the power to accredit rooftop solar products and installers.
Last year the CEC cancelled its accreditation of 12 installers and temporarily suspended the accreditation of 160 more.
It also struck more than 5,500 models of solar panel from its list of approved products, along with 88 models of solar inverter.
CEC chief executive Kane Thornton insists low-quality solar is not a problem in Australia.
“I think what we’ve got here is a minimum standard that ensures a minimum level of quality for these systems,” he told 7.30.
“I don’t think it’s up to government to dictate exactly which product an Australian consumer might prefer.”
Mr Thornton said the overwhelming majority of rooftop solar systems are safe, and an “unsafe” rating from the CER may not be as bad as it sounds.
“This categorisation is about potentially unsafe systems,” he said.
The ANAO found that the number of rooftop solar systems classified as “unsafe” has declined from an average of 4.2 per cent from 2011 to 2015, to 2.7 per cent last year.
Mr Thornton told 7.30 the regulatory framework for rooftop solar products and installations is working, because the number of systems categorised as unsafe is continuing to fall.
“We’re obviously very focussed on continuing to reduce that number,” he said.
He said the solar industry is one of the most heavily scrutinised in the country.
“We’ve got 2 million households with rooftop solar and very, very few actual incidents relating to safety within the industry.
“There’s more work to be done. I don’t think anyone disputes that.”
Some of the problems emerging in rooftop solar are the result of a massive growth in demand, fuelled by government subsidies.
But there is a chance Australia could repeat some of the same mistakes with the next boom in home energy — household batteries.
The National Audit Office found some of the risks of batteries include electric shock, gas explosion, fire, and chemical exposure.
About 60,000 home batteries have already been installed, but there is still no agreed Australian Standard setting out the minimum safety requirements for their installation.
An updated Australian Standard is expected to be released in August this year.
The CEC has accredited about 950 installers to work with home batteries and Mr Thornton said home batteries are fundamentally very safe.
“We need to remember that these types of batteries have been used in cars for many years. They’re also not dissimilar to the batteries that are in many people’s homes in the form of cordless power tools,” he said.
Renewable energy certificates not cancelled if system fails
One of the big selling points of rooftop solar is the government incentives that reduce the cost of the systems for consumers, and form the basis for the national trade in carbon abatement.
When a householder installs solar panels, a renewable energy certificate known as an STC can be created, which assumes the panel will produce clean energy for 12 years.
The certificate can be bought by a polluting company to offset its carbon emissions, and contribute towards Australia’s renewable energy target.
But if the solar panels fail after just a few years, the certificate can still be used to offset emissions.
And that still counts towards Australia’s renewable energy target.
This market for renewable energy, from rooftop solar, as well as wind and solar farms, is worth $1.5 billion a year and rising.
The CER, which looks after this market, says there is no provision under the current laws for STCs to be cancelled if a system fails early, and its expectation is that the system would be repaired or parts replaced.
The CER also says the STC credits for rooftop solar are calculated conservatively, so that “if a small number fail and are not repaired, it is immaterial across all the systems that have received certificates”.
The ANAO audit found the CER had administered Australia’s renewable energy target effectively — except for the enforcement activities of its investigations unit.
As part of its four main recommendations, the audit said the CER should examine the electrical safety risks posed by rooftop solar more closely.
The CER accepted those recommendations, but it told 7.30 it was an economic regulator and not primarily responsible for rooftop solar safety.
That job falls to the state and territory electrical safety authorities, who receive notifications from the CER when systems are not up to scratch.
But 7.30 found some parts of Australia have far more comprehensive checks than others.
Authorities in Tasmania, the ACT and Victoria inspect every system that is installed.
The Northern Territory also runs its own inspection regime. Inspectors in the NT have checked 295 rooftop solar systems in the past 12 months.
Queensland authorities told 7.30 solar installers with a history of substandard work are targeted for audits.
New South Wales authorities said they rely on notifications from the Clean Energy Regulator, and that a targeted compliance program for solar installations is under development.
Authorities in South Australia, where almost a third of homes now have rooftop solar, could not provide any information to 7.30 by deadline.
In south-west WA, where the state-owned company Western Power is responsible for rooftop solar inspections, almost 10,000 checks have been carried out in the past 18 months.
Horizon Power, which services rural and remote WA, was unable to confirm whether it runs an inspections regime independently of the CER, and was unable to provide 7.30 with any figures by deadline.
7.30 understands that several state authorities have become increasingly dissatisfied with the CER’s regime of testing, and are planning to expand their own checks of rooftop solar systems.
The CER provided a statement to 7.30, saying it is required by law to inspect a statistically significant number of rooftop solar systems (about 5,500) over a two-year period.
“There has been an overall downward trend in the level of unsafe systems installed since the inspection program commenced.”
Energy Stuff provides a full range of new smart solar systems which can include battery ready inverters or systems with integrated battery storage. All our systems come with smart energy management to provide real time monitoring and energy efficiencies. Finance options are available, simply ask our knowledgeable staff for details.
For further information call 1300 656 205 or go to our website at
Nissan claims the batteries in its Leaf electric cars will last 22 years, an estimated 10-12 years longer than the average life of the car itself.
Nissan reached its conclusions based off of data from the 400,000 Leafs it has sold in Europe since 2011, managing director of Renault-Nissan Energy Services Francisco Carranza said at the Automotive News Europe Congress this week.
“We are going to have to recover those batteries,” Carranza said.
The company also offers home solar panels and battery options, and like other carmakers such as Honda, it’s looking at ways to use its electric car batteries to store electricity from the grid and return it at the proper times, with revenue back going to the car owners. The company has been testing some form of vehicle-to-grid systems for years.
Last year, the company even debuted a modern streetlight powered by used Leaf batteries and solar panels.
Automotive News Europe also notes the Leaf is certified as an energy plant in Germany, Denmark, and the UK, which allows to connect to the grid in more traditional ways. Carranza said,
“It’s working even better than we anticipated selling back to grid. The more you dig, the more you find gold. The amount of revenue and profit by using vehicles to provide services to the grid is big.”
CEO Hiroto Saikawa recently said Nissan has “hit rock bottom” after the arrest of former CEO Carlos Ghosn. Nissan is reportedly looking to invest in a Chinese electric startup.
Energy Stuff specialises in Residential Solar with emphasis on Repairs, Replacements and upgrades. We also provide new systems, battery storage, Small Commercial, Off-Grid systems and smart monitoring systems. Energy Stuff is a Clean Energy Council Member and only uses CEC accredited installers. We fully comply with the Victorian Govt. Solar Rebate Program and we are supporting clients in their applications to the new scheme starting July 1st 2019.
Making ocean water safe to drink is usually an expensive and polluting prospect. This Finnish startup has found a way to do it with clean energy and a tiny footprint.
In a coastal city in Namibia, a small shipping container near the beach sits surrounded by solar panels. Inside, new technology uses that solar power to turn ocean water from the Atlantic into drinking water.
Namibia is in the middle of a prolonged drought. The president recently declared the second state of emergency in three years because the lack of rain is leading to severe food shortages. But if scaled up, this technology could help supply households and agriculture with fresh water. The basic tech that it uses for desalination, called reverse osmosis, isn’t new. But because the system can run on solar power, without the use of batteries, it avoids the large carbon footprint of a typical energy-hungry desalination plant. It’s also significantly cheaper over the lifetime of the system.
Photo: Solar Water Solutions
“Basically the running costs are zero, because solar is free,” says Antti Pohjola, CEO of Solar Water Solutions, the Finland-based startup that makes the technology. Desalination usually uses large amounts of electricity because reverse osmosis requires keeping water at a constant pressure. The new tech keeps water at the right pressure independently, so it can work without connecting to the grid or using a set of expensive batteries to store power.
In some remote communities, especially ones on small islands, the systems could replace pricey, polluting diesel-powered desalination. Because it can eliminate the operating cost of diesel fuel, the technology can pay for itself within three to four years. “We focus on remote, off-grid areas where there is no electricity infrastructure available,” Pohjola says. The technology is also useful far from the coast; in Kenya, the company has installed systems in rural villages where groundwater used for drinking is too salty for healthy consumption. Plus, the process also filters water through a membrane that removes bacteria, viruses, and other contaminants. The devices are modular, and a smaller system can produce 3,500 liters of water an hour.
In Namibia, the first system is in place on the campus of the University of Namibia, and the water will be used in part to irrigate a new “carbon garden” of trees planted to help remove CO2 from the atmosphere. But similar systems could help address the country’s water challenges at a larger scale, and could help the country prepare for a future that’s likely to involve more drought as climate change worsens. The same could be true in other countries, with networks of small desalination plants providing water locally rather than delivering it long distances. “In Asia and Africa, not only the electricity will be made by decentralized smaller systems, but we could also make water infrastructure local through decentralized systems,” says Pohjola.
Energy Stuff Off Grid specialises in off grid systems for homes, farms, batches and sheds. We sell a range of DIY battery systems right through to fully customised systems for houses, farms and small businesses. We have a specialist team that works in this area with over 5-years’ experience. Call us on 1300 656 205 or visit our website https://offgridaustralia.com.au/
Alinta Energy has won regulatory approval for the 212MW Yandin project 150kms north of Perth, which will be the biggest wind farm in Western Australia and one of the most efficient in the country.
The Economic Regulatory Authority on Wednesday said the project had been approved to proceed, and would likely begin construction in July. It received no submissions against the proposal to construct 51 Vestas turbines, each with a capacity of 4.2MW and standing 180 metres high. It is located near the Brand Highway near the town of Dandaragan.
The wind farm is predicted to have a “capacity factor” of around 50 per cent, putting it among the most efficient in the country, and at 212MW it will beat the 207MW Collgar wind farm near Merredin as the biggest in the state.
It also continues the rush of new development in the past two years since the demise of the former conservative government and a three-year investment drought for large scale renewables.
Construction will be undertaken by Decmil, which won the contract in April.
“We’re pleased to receive the generation licence from the Economic Regulation Authority,” a spokesman for Alinta said in an emailed statement. “It’s obviously another step in the right direction.
“The project is on track, and with construction plans and the appointment of contractors firmed up, we’ll become more active at the site from July.
“We’ll also engage with the local community to update them on our plans and seek their feedback.”
Energy Stuff specialises in Residential Solar with emphasis on Repairs, Replacements and upgrades. We also provide new systems, battery storage, Small Commercial, Off-Grid systems and smart monitoring systems. Energy Stuff is a Clean Energy Council Member and only uses CEC accredited installers. We fully comply with the Victorian Govt. Solar Rebate Program and we are supporting clients in their applications to the new scheme starting July 1st 2019.
Tesla’s 2016 acquisition of SolarCity is looking worse and worse. And its $1 billion solar gigafactory in Buffalo, New York, which the state built, subsidized, and equipped for SolarCity, seems to be primarily operating as a Panasonic plant.
The news: The overwhelming majority of the solar cells produced at the facility are now being sold overseas rather than being used in Tesla’s “Solar Roof” photovoltaic product, according to a Reuters report on Wednesday, citing a letter to US customs officials from Panasonic, Tesla’s partner on the plant.
That product was designed to resemble rooftop shingles with solar cells embedded inside, an effort to differentiate the offering in the commodity solar panel business. But the line appears to have been a flop. California’s utilities have connected only 21 such systems, according to state data obtained by the news service. And just “a few” were installed in the Northeast, Reuters reported, citing an anonymous former employee.
In the more than two years since Tesla acquired SolarCity, its overall solar installations have plummeted by more than 76%.
A Tesla spokesperson told Reuters it’s “actively installing” the Solar Roof product in eight states but declined to discuss its purchases from Panasonic or provide overall installation numbers.
The background: Tesla bought SolarCity for $2.6 billion in late 2016, in a deal that was heavily criticized because of SolarCity’s huge debt load and Tesla chief executive Elon Musk’s connections to the company. He had been the chairman of SolarCity and is a cousin of the cofounders, Peter and Lyndon Rive, both of whom have since left.
Soon after, Tesla unveiled the Solar Roof line, a marked shift from the business model of SolarCity, which primarily sold and installed rooftop solar panels produced by Chinese manufacturers. Tesla also struck a deal to buy custom solar cells for its products from Panasonic, which in turn agreed to invested $250 million into the gigafactory and set up its own production line there.
The subcontract also provided a way to help Tesla achieve hiring commitments required as part of the state’s $750 million in subsidies. But it still appears likely to fall short of the nearly 1,500 employees required by 2020, which would trigger financial penalties and has already prompted sharp criticisms of the deal by some state legislators.
Solar struggles: Tesla has been struggling to get production up and running, and gain ground in a solar space dominated by low-cost panels produced overseas, primarily in China.
Last year, Tesla ended its months-old retail partnership with Home Depot, and shuttered a number of solar installation facilities. It’s reportedly cut thousands of workers in its solar division since the acquisition. The team also faced difficulties with the appearance and performance of the Solar Roof tiles.
A Bloomberg article late last year said Tesla was operating just one production line at the Buffalo factory, rather than the multiple lines that were supposed to be running at that stage.
The piece also noted that Panasonic’s production is distinct from Tesla, set up on the other side of the building, despite Tesla’s portrayal of the deal as a close collaboration. While Panasonic has been making Solar Roof cells, Tesla “took issue with their aesthetics and cost” and had turned to a Chinese supplier as well, Bloomberg reported, citing several sources.
It’s unclear precisely how many solar cells, roof tiles, or panels Tesla is now producing itself or acquiring from Panasonic. But it’s likely a small fraction of the one gigawatt of solar capacity a year that the company initially boasted the factory would produce (see “10 Breakthrough Technologies 2016: SolarCity’s Gigafactory”).
Energy Stuff provides a full range of new smart solar systems which can include battery ready inverters or systems with integrated battery storage. All our systems come with smart energy management to provide real time monitoring and energy efficiencies. Finance options are available, simply ask our knowledgeable staff for details.
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Hundreds of households who missed out on the first tranche of the state government solar subsidies will get their rebates after all, the new boss of Solar Victoria says.
Stan Krpan, who will be announced on Wednesday as the inaugural chief executive of the agency set up to run the ambitious scheme, says the government is determined not to be caught out again by a huge surge of householders clamouring to sign up.
Mr Krpan also says his agency will crack down hard on shonky solar industry operators exploiting vulnerable consumers and on installers who risk their workers’ safety – with six installation outfits already referred to Consumer Affairs Victoria for prosecution.
The $1.3 billion scheme, which aims to put solar electrical systems on the roofs of up to 770,000 Victorian homes in the next 10 years, was a major promise by the Andrews Labor government before the 2018 election, tackling the hot-button issues of power prices, the cost of living and climate change.
The stop-gap program, designed to tide the solar industry over until the full scheme began operating on July 1, was expected to subsidise about 24,000 applications but the government has now accepted 32,000 and was forced to cap the scheme in April to stop the cost blowing out even more.
The move sparked protests by installers, who said they were left high and dry by the decision and threatened to lay off staff, and by householders who paid for their solar set-ups but were no longer able to claim the rebate.
But Mr Krpan says that anyone who has missed out will be able to claim their rebate, if they are eligible, with the agency already identifying more than 600 households in that category and believes there are more who have not yet contacted Solar Victoria.
The new chief executive says the main part of the scheme, which opens in just six weeks, will be designed so that it will not be swamped by higher-then-expected numbers of applications but Mr Krpan would not reveal details, saying there would be “further announcements” in the coming weeks.
Mr Krpan, who led the government’s flammable cladding taskforce, said that he and his colleagues were aware that large-scale subsidy schemes carried risks and that consumer protections and workplace safety would come first.
“We know there is a handful [of installers] who were actively encouraging customers to install without determining eligibility and that meant they were at risk of not getting their rebate,” Mr Krpan said.
Mr Krpan warned customers interested in the subsidies not to hand over money to solar operators without having confirmation that they had been approved for the scheme.
“Let me be really clear, you must have a token confirming your eligibility or we will not pay rebates; it’s not a cash-back system,” he said.
“Let me be really clear, you must have a token confirming your eligibility or we will not pay rebates; it’s not a cash-back system,” he said.
Energy Stuff specialises in Residential Solar with emphasis on Repairs, Replacements and upgrades. We also provide new systems, battery storage, Small Commercial, Off-Grid systems and smart monitoring systems. Energy Stuff is a Clean Energy Council Member and only uses CEC accredited installers. We fully comply with the Victorian Govt. Solar Rebate Program and we are supporting clients in their applications to the new scheme starting July 1st 2019.
Chinese electric car company BYD Co, in which Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway holds a stake of 25 per cent, has signed a deal with an Adelaide-based group to produce an electric car for the Australian market from late 2020.
BYD Co has signed a memorandum of understanding with EVANT to produce three different right-hand-drive passenger vehicles, including a mid-sized sports utility vehicle and a large SUV.
EVANT is backed by investment fund Fusion Capital and transport group Nexport.
Fusion is a large investor in Brabham Automotive, which is separately building the $1.8 million Brabham BT62 supercars in a northern Adelaide factory under the leadership of David Brabham. Mr Brabham’s father was the late three-time Formula One world champion Sir Jack Brabham, who was dominant in the sport in the early 1960s.
EVANT director Christian Reynolds, a former Tesla engineer who was an operations executive for the United States electric vehicle pioneer led by Elon Musk earlier in his career, said the eventual plan was to manufacture the vehicles in Adelaide.
But the initial production would happen in China, with those vehicles then brought to Adelaide for modifications and upgrades for the local market.
“We’ve been on this journey for three years,” Mr Reynolds said.
He said the new electric car would be sold under a new brand, which would be unveiled in the next couple of months. “It will be a new brand to the Australian market,” he said.
Mr Reynolds said it would be pitched at the premium end of the vehicle market because of the advanced technology and quality build and would have a range of up to 650 kilometres between charges.
“We’re looking at the premium space.” But he emphasised the price tag would be ”dramatically below” the prices at which Tesla models sold for in Australia.
The BYD Co and EVANT tie-up comes as British billionaire Sanjeev Guptaaims to become the first commercial electric vehicle manufacturer in Australia.
Mr Gupta, whose GFG Alliance has been working closely with the UK’s Gordon Murray Design for the past 18 months on its electric vehicle strategy, is in the final stages of deciding which prototype vehicles it will use to launch into the Australian marketplace.
Mr Gupta said on April 29 he aimed to have a production run of between 10,000 and 20,000 in Australia and was leaning toward a ”smart car” for metropolitan users.
Gordon Murray Design is based in Shalford near Surrey in the UK and specialises in low-volume production runs, utilising lightweight materials and technology used in Formula One cars. Mr Murray is a former McLaren Racing technical director.
One of Fusion Capital’s directors is Mat Fitch, owner of Precision Components, a big supplier of automotive components to Holden when it was a vehicle maker in Australia. Precision Components has been diversifying since car manufacturing ended in Australia after Ford, Holden and Toyota all shut their plants in 2016 and 2017.
BYD Co is listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
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