Agrivoltaics is the combination of solar panels and agriculture. It’s a relatively new concept but has been gaining traction over the last 20 years with more and more research showing the benefits. Research in Australia has been limited but is steadily increasing. Benefits of agrivoltaics include: Helping to protect crops and fruit from extreme weather, [...]
South Australia depends on a lot of renewables, such as solar, but what happens at night, or on cloudy days, when the solar panels aren’t generating much energy? Sadly, we have to buy our energy from another source, such as Victoria (nasty coal power!). To avoid this, we can utilise new technology like virtual power [...]
A battery big enough to provide power for a whole street - seems like a great idea, hey? Unfortunately the numbers don't always stack up, and any installation of a battery 'in front of meter' (as opposed to 'behind the meter' or at one site only for that site's benefit) needs to be carefully scrutinised. [...]
22 June 2022 The recent developments regarding the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) and the east-coast market has generated a significant public interest in understanding the contributing factors prior to AEMO suspending the market last week, and now, preparing to lift the suspension and resume the market. CEO Rachel Brdanovic was approached by the ABC [...]
What a ride! It has been over a year since we leased our Nissan Leaf. To be honest I didn’t care much about the actual car to start with as it was the only electric vehicle in our price range. I had decided years ago that our next car will be an electric car, [...]
The Federal Government has announced that they will provide $50 million in grants to eligible businesses and community organisations through the Energy Efficient Communities Program. Interestingly, some local MPs in South Australia have decided to promote this program through their own networks, leading to some confusion. Here is the information to date as can be [...]
When it comes to energy storage, batteries are certainly the flavour of the month, however there are other alternatives. Depending on your industry and site capabilities, you may find options such as thermal storage viable. The below extract is written by Heather Smith, SA energy extraordinaire and Tandem Energy consultant. The article focuses on the [...]
There is much talk around batteries of late, especially with Australian Federal and State Governments announcing schemes to reduce the costs for households to install them. As great as the idea of battery storage sounds, it is important to you know what you are signing up for and what you are eligible to receive. Here is [...]
It is the last day of Intersolar today and I’m feeling it. Intersolar is the world’s leading exhibition for the solar industry and takes place annually at the huge Messe München exhibition centre in Munich, Germany. My time here has been great, not only from a business development perspective, but also for my own wellbeing, [...]
Greeting from fresh but sunny Munich. It is day 2 at Intersolar. There is so much happening here that it is easy to get side-tracked and distracted. This morning I had to refocus with a pretzel and coffee to remind me that I am here to learn more about development in microgrids. What's on [...]