Bifacial solar panels for commercial solar.

Posted on April 1, 2019 by Mike — No Comments ↓

Vicinity Centres, who will provide 31MW of clean energy to 22 shopping centres and their retailers by the end of the year, is trialling bifacial solar panels to see how that will affect their choices for stage 3 of Vicinity’s solar program.

Bifacial solar panels for commercial solar.

According to an article in PV Magazine, the first bifacial panels were installed at Kurralta Central Shopping Centre to get a better yield from their available roof space. Initial tests showed 6-8% to 16-18% increased output (they tried a bunch of different locations and coatings on the roof to maximise output).

“It’s early days,” said Renae Sambrooks, General Manager of Energy and Commercial Management for Vicinity, “but results from Kurralta made us feel confident enough to install bifacials in three more centres.

“Over the next few months results of those trials will help us make decisions around our Stage 3 solar program,” she said in comments quoted in PV Magazine.

We’ve reported fairly comprehensively about Vicinity Centres and solar investment in the past – we’re also taken a look at the Stockland shopping centres and their commercial solar investment.

“As of today,” Sambrooks said, “we’ve produced 2.5MWh of clean energy from 13MW of installed capacity and we’re in the process of constructing the next 18 MW, which will be completed by the end of 2019.”

There are a few other bifacial solar panels available:

An article in Green Tech Media notes that the bifacial PERC modules can boost performance by a staggering 27%.

The Bifacial Solar Panels at Kurralta are one of the first steps Vicinity Centres are making to end up with their 31MW of renewable energy output – Sambrooks discussed the long term goal:

“Our vision was to create intelligent energy destinations. We’re not just whacking solar panels on roofs. It’s a long-term investment and we’re always thinking how we can sweat the solar installations and all our other energy initiatives to make a return.”

Still very early days, so we’ll keep you updated how they go with the testing and what Vicinity decide to do with regards to commercial solar panels.

Battery Energy Storage System in Alice Springs

Posted on November 13, 2018 by Mike — No Comments ↓

Battery Energy Storage System – Alice Springs is set to receive its first grid-scale battery as solar power in the Northern Territory heats up.

Alice Springs Battery Energy Storage System

The $8.3M, 5MW/2.5MWh grid-scale battery storage facility in Alice Springs was announced last year and has been completed this week. It was built by New Zealand solar company Vector using LG grid-scale solar batteries.

Government owned Territory Generation (The Northern Territory’s major electricity producer) have advised that they’re hoping this battery will facilitate greater uptake of solar in the NT:

“The Battery Energy Storage System is an important milestone in the Northern Territory’s transition to renewable energy and a critical piece of infrastructure to support the Northern Territory Government’s Roadmap to Renewables strategy,” Territory Generation Chief Executive Officer Tim Duignan said.

“Reliability and stability of the power system is a critical barrier in the uptake of renewable energy across Australia, and I am pleased that we are at the forefront of tackling this issue right here in Alice Springs,” he continued.

The BESS should have quite a big impact on base-load power as well, so let’s see how it fares during summer 2018/19. Previously a very conservative approach to local grid management (read more in RenewEconomy) means this battery should help quite a lot: with half an hour storage capability, and can supply 8MW for 6 seconds, or 7.5MW for 60 seconds – suitable for the moments everyone decides their air conditioners need to be turned on at the same time!

Mr. Duignan also discussed the plans for Darwin solar in the future: “The cutting-edge technology in our Battery Energy Storage System will reinforce Alice Springs as the solar capital of Australia by enabling greater solar penetration whilst maintaining grid stability.”

We wrote about the Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) last June as it was unveiled in an attempt to compete with the other states, where the Northern Territory was lagging behind considerably (January 2017 PV output was 4,049MWh vs Queensland’s 126,629MWh).

The Northern Territory is in a very unique position compared to its neighbour states – the state hosts a mere one percent of the total population but it represents approximately 15% of Australia’s land mass. However, installs are more expensive over there due to less competition and higher cyclone ratings required on solar panels. This dearth of Darwin solar is starting to change and there are a raft of high quality solar installers working hard in Darwin, Katherine, Alice Springs, and more. It’ll be interesting to see how quickly they can catch up to the other states.

Darwin Solar Farms

There are plenty of farms and solar projects in various stages of completion in the Northern Territory and this is growing rapidly:

GPT Group have 1.25 MW at Casuarina Square shopping Centre
Darwin International Airport’s 4MW.
Epuron are working on a 25MW Solar plant at Katherine.
The Australian Defence Force have tendered for a 12MW of solar (combined) at their Darwin and Robertson Barracks.
Rim Fire Energy Retail’s 10MW Batchelor solar farm.
Infigen Energy are building a 12MW solar farm at Manton Dam and 10MW at Batchelor.
Community solar project “Repower Alice Springs” is planning for a 10MW community solar farm.

LG ESS Battery Launch – Residential Energy Storage

Posted on October 6, 2018 by Mike — No Comments ↓

LG have released a new LG ESS battery and inverter, and have upgraded their NeON solar panel range for 2019. Let’s take a look at some of the changes!

LG ESS battery and inverter

LG have consistently led the way with regards to high quality solar panels, so it’s great to see them foray into home energy storage. Let’s take a look at the product a little closer:

“Delivering high-quality energy solutions for homeowners is a top priority for us,” said Markus Lambert, General Manager Solar & Energy for LG Electronics Australia discussed what adding a residential ESS (Energy Storage Solution) will mean for the LG solar brand:

“The addition of the ESS to our energy portfolio will enable us to support Australian homeowners with a 3 phase electric power and their demand for greater control over their residential energy consumption.”

The LG ESS battery and inverter is also modular – it can store up to 12.8kWh by installing the 6.4kWh battery packs. All of the devices are covered by a 10 year Australian product warranty.

In addition to the ESS, LG Electronics also introduced their 2019 range of NeON^®R and NeON^®2 premium solar panels, which will have a performance upgrade to 370W and 380W as well as a 400W 72 cell panel. All NeON solar panels have a 25 year warranty. To be frank, these panels are quite expensive, but if space is a premium and/or you want to get the best result possible, they are highly recommended. Mr Lambert discussed the benefits of the new panels:

“Residential dwellings are constantly evolving, just like homeowners’ energy needs,” he said.

“These higher efficiency panels will benefit homeowners with limited roof space, as well as those looking to deploy energy-intense technologies, like electric vehicle charging stations.”

If you’re interested in learning more about LG’s new product range please click here to view their website or feel free to leave a comment below and we’d be happy to point you in the right direction!

Trump imposes Solar Tariff on Panel Imports

Posted on January 24, 2018 by Mike — No Comments ↓

President Donald Trump has imposed a solar tariff – on solar panel imports, which is expected to have myriad repercussions for local manufacturers and their ability to compete against competitors in China and South Korea. Will this have an impact on solar panel technology, and what will it mean for local manufacturers?

Trump’s Solar Tariff – What Now?

An ostensible slap in the face to the renewable energy, Trump’s idea of raising import tariffs by up to 30% may have a few benefits, at least for USA based companies.

Donald Trump Imposes USA Solar Tariff (source: @realDonaldTrump via Twitter)

First Solar Inc., USA based panel maker saw their shares jump by almost 10% in after-hours trading. Shares of U.S. home appliance manufacturer Whirlpool jumped also 5 percent on Tuesday on the back of the news, as washing machines have also seen a tariff imposed on them.

According to Time magazine, however, the move will stifle a $28 billion industry not only overseas, but the raised costs of solar panels will also harm the American solar industry. The Solar Energy Industries Association has projected tens of thousands of job losses in a sector that currently employs 260,000 people, America wide. These tariffs are on the back of Trump’s administration pulling out of the international Paris climate agreement, and rolling back regulations on power plant emissions.

According to a statement made by President Trump on Monday, the first 2.5 gigawatts of imported solar cells will be exempt from the tariffs. Four years of tariffs will then start at 30 percent in the first year and gradually drop to 15 percent.

“Developers may have to walk away from their projects,” Hugh Bromley, a New York-based analyst at Bloomberg New Energy Finance, said in an interview before Trump’s decision. “Some rooftop solar companies may have to pull out” of some states.

CNBC reported that Credit Suisse analyst Susan Maklari told her clients that Trump’s decision wasn’t all that surprising.

“All those producing in the US will now face a similar cost structure, creating a more level playing field,” wrote Maklari. “Based on filings by LG and Samsung, they have a combined roughly 33 percent share in the U.S. suggesting 3 million washers are brought in annually. That said, both have commenced construction of U.S.-based capacity, which is expected to come on line over the next 12-18 months. As such, we expect this decision to become less impactful in time.”

Only time will tell what impact this has on the renewable energy industry as a whole, but these sort of protectionist regulations are rarely a step in the right direction. Watch this space…

LG MONO X plus and NeON 2 Warranty Increased.

Posted on December 18, 2017 by Mike — No Comments ↓

LG’s flagship NeON 2 and LG Mono X Plus solar panels are receiving an extended warranty (15 years) for those who install them from January 1, 2018. This is five years longer than the Australian industry standard, but not as long as the 25-year product warranty and 87% output warranty LG’s NeON R panels currently offer.

“From design and production to delivery, we follow stringent protocols to ensure the integrity of our solar panels,” said Russ Prendergast, Senior Marketing Manager Solar at LG. “This increase in warranty reflects our confidence that our products can go the distance.”

“We’re proud of our achievements in solar, and our consistent presence in the Intersolar Awards winners list confirms the industry feels the same. But we wanted to give our customers something that benefits them directly,” said Prendergast in a press release quoted by RenewEconomy, “With close to 70 per cent sales growth in the past year, our customers appear to recognise the quality our solar panels deliver.”

More good news for those looking to invest in solar but are concerned about the long term results!

LG Mono X Plus

The fifth generation LG Mono X Plus have long warranties, high efficiency, and as of next year boasts an impressive 25-year warranty.

They come in three different models:

Residential 60 Cell 300W – LG300S1C – ‘Entry Model’ – for those that want a great product without the ‘bells and whistles’ of the LG NeON range. (Brochure Here)
Residential 60 Cell 295W – LG295S1C-A5 – Fifth generation LG Mono X ® Plus – 25 Year performance warranty. (Brochure Here)
Commercial 72 Cell 360W – LG360S2W – Commercial grade, cost-effective module with great performance. (Brochure Here)

Read more about the LG Mono X Plus solar panel in Australia on the LG website.

LG NeON 2

We’ve written an article about the NeON 2 Solar Panel (LG330N1C) which was released earlier this year. The 330W panel is LG’s flagship solar panel and comes highly recommended by all who have tried it!

LG currently have 34 different solar panels for sale so there’s something for everyone – click here to have a look at what they offer and be sure to comment below or email us if you have any questions about a specific panel – we’d be happy to help!

If you’re interested in the production process i.e. how solar panels are made, LG have produced a video called ‘LG Solar Panel Production Line Tour’ you can view below:

The latest Australian solar news and deals for the industrial, commercial and residential sectors.

LG

Bifacial solar panels for commercial solar.