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Redflow in Thailand – Produce First Battery Stacks

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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. 

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Geelong Solar – Council to install solar at pools.

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Geelong Solar – the City of Greater Geelong are rolling out a plan to make huge cuts to its carbon emissions (They’re aiming for 50% via their Zero Carbon Emissions Strategy) in 2020. They’ve installed 300 solar panels at a local swimming pool and have a lot of other plans for the rest of the year. 

Geelong Solar and the Zero Carbon Emissions Strategy

Fitness centre Leisurelink Aquatic and Recreation Centre on Pioneer Road in Grovedale has been fitted out with solar panels as part of the Greater Geelong Council renewable energy push. The centre now has over 300 solar panels and joins the Grove Community Centre, City Hall and Boorai Centre in Ocean Grove which had PV rooftop solar panels installed last November. 

Other public premises which will have solar panels installed in the roof later this year include the Bellarine Aquatic and Sports Centre, The Arena, and the National Wool Museum. According to the Geelong Advertiser, the buildings will also have upgraded energy efficient lighting and the heating/cooling systems will be altered so as to help meet Geelong’s Zero Carbon Emissions Strategy. 

Geelong Solar - Leisurelink Swim Sport and Leisure
Geelong Solar – Leisurelink Swim Sport and Leisure (source: geelongaustralia.com.au)

“It’s important for local government to lead the way with environmental initiatives,” Geelong mayor Bruce Harwood said.

“The benefits from installing these solar panels across City buildings will also extend to the community with significant annual savings.”

Mr Harwood said the estimated savings in energy reduction will be $200,000 per year, and this also means 1600 less tonnes of greenhouse gases. 

Geelong council have joined another bunch of council solar initiatives announced in the last year, such as:

It’s great to see councils moving in the right direction and taking the initiative to ensure they are using as much renewable energy as possible. In the same week where UNSW announced that they will be completely solar powered thanks to the Sunraysia solar plant, it’s a great time for renewables in Australia! 

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UNSW Solar – uni to go fully solar powered

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UNSW Solar has taken another huge step forward – the University of New South Wales has signed a 15-year corporate PPA (Power Purchase Agreement) with Maoneng Australia and Origin Energy to become 100% solar powered, thanks to Maoneng‘s Sunraysia solar plant.

UNSW Solar 

The Sunraysia solar farm, which will be Australia’s biggest solar farm, is planned to commence construction in April or May of this year, at a cost of $275 million. It will generate at least 530,000 megawatt hours of electricity each year, of which UNSW will purchase 124,000 – almost a quarter. They signed an agreement on December 14, 2017, which will run for 15 years. A three year ‘retail firming’ contract was also signed with Origin, as the electricity retailer. This will help manage intermittency of solar production.

UNSW Solar - UNSW President Ian Jacobs (source: newsroom.unsw.edu.au)
UNSW Solar – UNSW President Ian Jacobs (source: newsroom.unsw.edu.au)

UNSW president and vice chancellor Ian Jacobs discussed the partnership with Fairfax, advising that it would comprise a key part of making UNSW’s entire operation energy carbon neutral by 2020.

“Over the past six months, UNSW has collaborated with our contract partners Maoneng and Origin, to develop a Solar PPA model that leads the way in renewable energy procurement and reflects our commitment to global impact outlined in our 2025 strategy,” he said.

Mr Jacobs wouldn’t provide specifics on pricing, but did note that it will be helpful to UNSW in a financial sense:

“It’s a highly competitive agreement financially,” he said.

“The Solar PPA arrangement will allow UNSW to secure carbon emission-free electricity supplies at a cost which is economically and environmentally attractive when compared to fossil fuel-sourced supplies.”

Energy Action, a company who assisted during the tender by with energy market analysis, noted that the PPA would help UNSW have greater clarity on their future electricity spends and not be as vulnerable to electricity price fluctuations:

“This agreement provides UNSW with a direct line of sight over the source of renewables supply, reduced emissions, and greater certainty around prices over the next 15 years,” Energy Action chief executive Ivan Slavich said.

Kelly Davies, Senior Consultant at Norton Rose Fulbright, was quoted on the university press release as saying: “UNSW is a true leader of innovation. The PPA market has been extremely dynamic in the last 12 months and deals like UNSW’s have been critical in driving real change in the way universities and other users procure energy.”

UNSW have also been the recipient of a few solar grants from ARENA over the past years so the idea of them using renewable energy to research and upgrade renewable energy is certainly a palatable one and it’s amazing to see so much energy from the Sunraysia Solar Plant already accounted for! 

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Chernobyl Solar Plant to be erected at ground zero.

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The former nuclear reactor at Ukraine has been transformed into a one million euro (AUD $1.54m) Chernobyl solar plant which will be able to generate 1MW of renewable energy. Although somewhat subsidised by the Ukranian government via a generous PPA (purchasing power agreement), the plant is expected to prove a savvy investment for both the companies involved and Ukraine. 

About the Chernobyl Solar Plant

The site of the worst nuclear disaster the world has ever seen (read more about the Chernobyl disaster here) is now host to workers of a Ukranian-German company ‘Solar Chernobyl’ who are carrying out installation of a 1MW solar plant which is expected to launch within weeks.

According to news.com.au, the site will include around 3,800 PV panels over an area of 1.6 hectares and Solar Chernobyl are expecting to recoup their investment within seven years. The long term plan is to produce 100MW at the site, according to Ukrainian firm Rodina Energy Group and German clean energy group Enerparc AG, who are the companies working as Solar Chernobyl on the project. They’ve both got previous experience with solar farms and have a firm long-term plan for the area, along with the Ukrainian government. 

“Bit by bit we want to optimize the Chernobyl zone,” Evgeny Variagin, chief executive officer of Rodina, told Bloomberg. “It shouldn’t be a black hole in the middle of Ukraine. Our project is 100 meters from the reactor.”

Rodina and Enerparc signed a contract with the Ukranian government in 2016 that will require the government to pay 15 euro cents (AUD $0.23) per kilowatt-hour of electricity generated from the site until 2030. According to Bloomberg this is a significantly larger price than normal – almost 40 percent higher than the average cost of solar in Europe. As such it represents a significant incentive for the companies to try and slowly assist changing the perception of Chernobyl which has been blighted since 1986. A massive step in the right direction! 

Chernobyl Solar Plant (source: www.enerparc.de)
Chernobyl Solar Plant (source: www.enerparc.de)

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Super fund ISPT rolls out rooftop solar.

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Superannuation fund property investor ISPT is installing up to 59 rooftop solar properties Australia-wide as part of its $12b portfolio, cutting utility costs by $27 through a range of energy efficiency initiatives. Their National Solar Project is a four-stage initiative which aims to reduce the cost of baseload electricity and improve energy security for ISPT’s clients.

Stage 1 of ISPT Rooftop Solar Rollout

ISPT Rooftop PV Solar Installations (source: http://ispt.net.au)
ISPT Rooftop PV Solar Installations (source: http://ispt.net.au)

Alicia Maynard, ISPT’s GM for sustainability and technical services said on the ISPT website that “We conceived this project in 2016 following a national review of our key property assets in terms of the opportunity to install rooftop solar PV panels,”

According to the Australian Financial Review, stage one will involve the installation of solar panels in 13 buildings for a total of 13,000 square metres of renewable energy generation. ISPT have already finished construction of PV solar rooftop arrays in Perth (at 100 St Georges Terrace), in Canberra (at 18 Marcus Clarke Street and 7 London Circuit) and in Melbourne (at Central West Shopping Centre). 

Some of the upcoming projects will include:

  • 50 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne
  • 477 Pitt Street, Sydney (Sydney Central)

“The solar PV rollout is about positioning our portfolio to be at the forefront of the move to clean energy, taking an industry-leading position that will deliver value for our tenants, dividends for our investors and better solutions for our environment,” said chief executive Daryl Browning.

In stage two another 20 properties will have solar installed – with a massive 45,000 square metres of solar panels planned to be installed. These solar initiatives mean that ISPT’s commercial property portfolio has been given a 4.8 star rating by the NABERS (National Australian Built Environment Rating System) energy efficiency scheme.

Commercial Solar Power in Australia

This is another example of commercial solar gaining traction as a way to diversify portfolios, add value to a property, and reduce exposure to rapidly rising electricity prices. Some examples of recent commercial solar include:

 

 

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