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Redback Technologies Product Range

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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.

Redback Technologies Product Range
Redback Technologies Product Range

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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2 North Queensland Solar farms approved

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Fotowatio Renewable Ventures (FRV) has been approved to build two North Queensland solar farms in Clare and Tieri – to bring another 141MW of solar power to the sunshine state.

FRV and North Queensland Solar

FRV Logo - North Queensland Solar Farms
FRV Logo (source:claresolarfarm.com.au)

According to the Daily Mercury, the Tieri project will create 200-250 jobs during its development. It is a 96MW DC solar farm and will join another FRV farm in the same region – the 125MW Lilyvale Solar Farm.

With the additional approval of the 45MW Clare II Solar Farm in Burdekin (which will be constructed next to the Clare I solar farm) these two projects (Clare II and Tieri) will add 141MW to FRV’s current 281MW portfolio of solar farms in the approved, but planning stages. It’s going to be a big 12 months for solar farms Australia wide, but especially in Queensland where there has been a flurry of recent approvals (e.g. the mega solar farm at Bouldercomb, an smaller Longreach Solar Farm and many more). RenewEconomy data shows that there are 17 solar farms currently being built (or having reached financial close) in Queensland alone – and there are at least another 34 currently being planned.

FRV Australia Managing Director Cameron Garnsworthy said: “These recent planning approvals build on FRV’s track record of successfully working with local communities to achieve positive regulatory endorsement for its utility-scale solar projects”. They’ve previously been responsible for the succesful design and development of the Moree solar farm, the Royalla solar farm (both in New South Wales), and, as previously mentioned, the original Clare solar farm which is currently being upgraded. They have a proven track record overseas as well – FRV is a global developer of solar projects who have built utility-scale plants in locations as diverse as Jordan, Uruguay, India and Italy.

You can click here to read more about the existing 125MW Clare Solar farm which will potentially reach 150MW in its final design (On May 31 FRV sold it to Lighthouse Infrastructure and DIF who acquired a 50% equity interest each in the project).

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Queensland solar tariff buyout scheme vetoed, altered.

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Back in the days of solar power’s infancy, the QLD government (most states in Australia also ran their own separately) ran a plan where users feeding solar power back into the grid could receive a ‘premium’ feed-in tariff of $0.44/kWh. With the growing technology behind battery storage and solar panel technology, the 238,000 customers that will remain on the grandfathered premium Queensland solar tariff plan until 2028 pose a threat to the budget and the government have decided to try and figure out a way to ensure it doesn’t become a problem in the future – and they’ve decided to do this via a crackdown on excess battery storage.

Queensland Solar Tariff History

Customers who applied for the Queensland Solar Bonus Scheme before 10 July 2012 and maintain their eligibility can continue to receive a feed-in tariff of 44 cents. Be aware these grandfathered plans are at least 400% more generous than anything you’ll get in 2017 so check before making any changes that may affect your 0.44c! This feed-in tariff is closed to new solar customers and will expire in on July 1, 2028.

With battery storage becoming the norm, there was a push last year (championed by Ergon Energy) to buyout the users of this this tariff or include a ‘voluntary swap’ with battery storage – unsurprisingly this was met warmly by the battery storage industry and the solar industry. It was, however, quashed by the Queensland Productivity Commission in late 2016 as the cost (~$9,000 per household) was deemed too high.

Queensland Energy Minister Mark Bailey introduced a bill on June 15 to limit the amount of energy solar power consumers can feed into the main grid, telling the Courier Mail that it was necessary to stop customers ‘gaming the system’. This is due to projections showing the cost of the scheme could have grown by 25% by 2028 – which would, according to Bailey, raise the cost from $4.1 billion to $5.1 billion. As per the ABC, as part of the new bill those under the Solar Bonus Scheme would no longer be able to feed energy into the grid while taking power from their battery.

Bailey was quoted as saying: “You can either use your solar PV to generate power for your property, or you can use the power coming from your battery,”and “When the Solar Bonus Scheme was first established, new technologies like batteries were not a consideration.”

Mark Bailey Energy Minister - Queensland Solar Tariff Crackdown
Mark Bailey MP on Queensland Solar Tariff Crackdown (source abc.net.au / Patrick Williams)

Further Reading – Queensland Solar Bonus Scheme

The Electricity Act 1994 and the Electricity Regulation 2006 set out many of the rules that apply to the 44 cent premium feed-in tariff. Bailey’s bill is due to be debated later this year and we’ll keep you posted on its progress.

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