Electric motorcycles, solar sharing, energy smarts: ATC announces 2021 finalists

The Australian Technologies Competition for 2021 has announced the 41 companies selected as semi-finalists in this year’s contest, including a rooftop solar sharing start-up, an energy software disruptor spun out of the CSIRO, and Australia’s first dedicated electric motorcycle business.

In its 11th year in 2021, the Competition has a long history of supporting and championing some of Australia’s leading clean tech and renewable energy innovators, with winners in the past including solar tech company RayGen and Perth-based Carnegie Wave Energy.

This year is no exception, with Vast Solar, SwitchDin, SEA Electric, Savic Motorcycles, Grainstone, Evergen and Allume Energy all making the list of 41 companies selected by judges to go on to the next round of the contest.

Allume Energy, which has been featured regularly on RenewEconomy sister site One Step Off The Grid, is the manufacturer of SolShare, which is described as the “world’s only” software and hardware solution for sharing rooftop solar between apartments.

In 2019, the technology was used in a Victorian government-backed project to allow for rooftop solar generated and battery stored solar power to be shared between 52 apartments in Melbourne’s north-west, as part of the state’s Community Energy Hubs Project.

Evergen, another worthy contender, uses smart energy management software to ensure households with solar and batteries get the most from their investments, while also giving them the smarts to benefit the broader grid, if need be.

Evergen’s software – which was originally developed by the CSIRO and backed by AMP Capital – was just this week tapped to be used in a two-year home energy management system (HEMS) pilot at Carseldine Village, a Queensland government-backed residential development to deliver net-zero energy emission homes.

Melbourne-based Savic Motorcycles unveiled its C-Series cafe racer style bike – understood to be the first high-performance electric motorbike made in Australia – in November of last year, as reported on RenewEconomy sister site, The Driven.

SEA Electric, the Australian-founded electric truck and van technology company now based in Los Angeles, has recently raised $US42 million ($55 million) to “expedite” its global ambitions and potentially list on one of the United States stock exchanges.”.

Founded by chief executive Tony Fairweather in 2012, the company released its first product in 2017. It expects to deliver 1,000 commercial vehicles this year, and aims to have more than 15,000 vehicles on the road by the end of 2023. Its main product are its five “SEA-Drive” systems, battery and electric motor systems designed for commercial trucks and vans.