Big crowds as All Energy Australia kicks off with major announcements

The All-Energy Australia 2018 exhibition & conference kicked off in Melbourne today. Safety of products and quality assurance was prominent in discussions at the country’s largest PV conference and trade show in its early hours. Big funding announcements at the opening plenary made headlines.

“Electric vehicles are the future, and we’re ensuring Victoria is at the forefront of this transition,” D’Ambrossio said.

Image: pv magazine/Dave Tacon

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From pv magazine Australia

Addressing the 2018 All Energy opening plenary, Victorian Energy Minister Lily D’Ambrosio said she was not sure if anyone would appear for a session scheduled to kick off at 8:00 AM, drawing chuckles from the crowd.

D’Ambrosio used the event to launch the state's Battery Assurance Program, and announced fundings for microgird and EV charging projects.

The Battery Assurance Program is a new quality assurance program developed by the Clean Energy Council (CEC) aimed at providing consumers with independent information on the safety of residential battery products.

CEC Chief Executive Kane Thornton said the new program confirms which home battery products have been tested against the industry’s best practice guidelines.

“Simply put, products that qualify for the Clean Energy Council’s Battery Assurance Program meet the standard we should all expect for a major appliance we are installing in our homes. The products have been independently tested to confirm they are up to the necessary electrical safety and quality standards,” Thornton said.

So far, the first companies to show their products meet the standards and qualify for the new program include: LG Chem, Sonnen, Tesla and Varta. 

“Energy storage technology has the potential to completely revolutionize the way we use and think about energy. This program is part of a huge suite of initiatives, by the industry for the industry, to ensure the continued confidence of consumers long into the future,” Thornton said.

The industry best practice guide which underpins the assurance program was developed by a collection of groups including the Clean Energy Council, the Australian Industry Group, the Consumer Electronics Suppliers Association, CSIRO and the Smart Energy Council, in collaboration with state electrical safety regulators.

E-mobility

In addition to elaborating on Victoria’s clean energy transition power by initiatives such as the government’s Solar Homes rooftop solar rebate program, D’Ambrossio continued her presentation announcing a one million dollar funding for Australian business Chargefox, aimed at developing Australia’s fastest electric vehicle charging stations in regional Victoria.

“Electric vehicles are the future, and we’re ensuring Victoria is at the forefront of this transition,” D’Ambrossio said.

Euroa and Barnawartha North have been chosen as Australia’s first ultra-rapid vehicle charging sites, both of which will feature multiple charging stations powered by Chargefox EV charge management software platform.

The charging stations will dramatically reduce charging time for drivers, with up to 400km of range delivered in 15 minutes, the fastest of any charger currently deployed in Australia.

Following on the Victorian government's earlier microgrid investment announcements, including the $10 million Microgrid Demonstration Initiative towards eight microgrid, D’Ambrossio went on to announce Birchip Cropping Group (BCG) would receive $210,000 to develop a solar PV+battery microgrid.

With the help of the microgrid, the agricultural research and extension organization led by farmers in the Victorian Wimmera and Mallee will be able to lower their energy costs and improve energy reliability.

The $319,000 project, which has the potential to be used as a model for other farms and businesses across Victoria, will be delivered by NSW-based clean-tech IoT startup SwitchDin in partnership with BCG and Australian C&I containerized battery supplier Walnut Energy Systems.

New ARENA CEO

Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) CEO Darren Miller took the floor to announce a major new initiative that will see the whole-of-the-energy industry working together to harness the potential of consumer-owned energy – the Distributing Energy Integration Program (DEIP).

The Distributed Energy Resources (DER) are the vast array of decentralized, consumer-owned small scale energy technologies that sit “behind the meter” in homes and businesses including rooftop solar, home batteries, smart appliances, smart thermostats or pool pumps and charging points for electric vehicles.

On the back of CSIRO and AEMO forecasts, which expect the electricity generated from DER to reach up to 45% of all electricity generated in Australia by 2050, compared to just 3% today, key industry bodies have come together to ensure quicker and more efficient integration of the DERs.
“Australia is at the global forefront of the adoption of distributed energy, and will have one of the most decentralized energy systems in the world in the coming decades,” Miller said, revealing that the next ARENA investment will be in batteries.
“There are currently over 1.8 million rooftop solar systems already installed in Australia, and this is only expected to grow as more Australians install home batteries, home energy management systems, smart appliances and start driving electric cars.
The whole-of-industry  initiative will involve ARENA, Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO), Australia Energy Market Commission (AEMC), Australian Energy Regulator, Clean Energy Regulator, Energy Consumers Australia, Clean Energy Council, Australian Energy Council, Energy Networks Australia, CSIRO and Clean Energy Finance Corporation.
“We look forward to integrating DER in a way that maximizes consumer value through price, greater choice, and the provision of a secure and reliable system,” AEMO Managing Director Audrey Zibelman said.
“The future power system will see more consumers buying and selling energy in a dynamic way in response to price signals. The AEMC is adapting regulatory frameworks so consumers can optimize the value of their investments in distributed energy resources. This can help consumers manage their bills, while also providing more options for AEMO to keep the system secure and reliable,” said AEMC Chief Executive Anne Pearson.
Following the opening addresses, pv magazine Australia‘s first Quality Roundtable at the All Energy show opened with heated quality discussions covering all market segments. One of the key themes was the importance of ensuring quality right across the supply chain. One broken link, noted Geoff Bragg, NSW Chairman of the Solar Energy Industry Associations, and the quality chain is broken.

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