Mixed Greens: Redflow teams with Schneider on storage

Redflow teams with Schneider on battery storage

Australian battery storage technology developer RedFlow has announced a “master supply” agreement with global company Schneider Electric that will see the companies collaborate and develop energy storage systems incorporating the Red Flow battery. RedFlow CEO Stuart Smith said the company’s battery technology was ideally suited to some of the markets Schneider currently service. “Our agreement with Schneider is not industry specific and offers us the opportunity to expand our business into all channels Schneider currently operate in and service, including those with unreliable grid supply as well as off-grid and micro-grid markets,” said Smith.

“Our batteries have already been tested and operated in series with a Schneider inverter using a360V DC BUS which further validates our technology”. Dirk Krueger, Queensland state manager for Schneider Electric, said the potential reduction in diesel run time and use of lead acid batteries in some applications could have benefits for both customers and the environment.

NSW expands energy efficiency scheme

The energy efficiency industry has finally received some good news, with the announcement that the NSW Government will expand and improve the NSW Energy Saving Scheme (ESS), a market-based mechanism that encourages households and businesses to reduce electricity consumption and costs by installing, improving or replacing energy saving equipment. Environment Minister Rob Stokes said the decision reinforced the NSW Government’s commitment to helping households and businesses save 16,000 GWh each year by 2020”.

This positive news comes after the Victorian State Government announced that they would not be continuing their version of the Energy Efficiency Scheme, the VEET. “Over the last two years the NSW Government has become Australia’s centre of energy policy excellence. While other states have been making slap-dash policy decisions on the run, the NSW Government has be steadily rolling out policies to fix the electricity system and reduce energy bills,” said Rob Murray-Leach, CEO of the Energy Efficiency Council. “The changes that the NSW Government announced today will mean that shops can offer consumers discounts for energy efficient appliances, and make it easier for experts to help homes and businesses save energy. Today’s announcement is a win for businesses, a win for jobs and, most importantly, a win for households,” said Rob Murray-Leach.

Windlab plans 60MW US wind project

Australian wind company Windlab has begun plans to start building a wind farm in Ohio, in the US. Windlab hope to start building the 60MW wind project in Greenwich, Hron County, by the second quarter of 2015. The developer, a subsidiary of Australian outfit Windlab Systems, is planning to install up to 25 turbines at the Greenwich wind farm, located 65 miles southwest of Cleveland. The project is expected to operate with an average annual gross capacity factor of forty per cent, generating a total of approximately 210 GWh/year of electricity. The developer has leased about 4,650 acres of private farm and agricultural land from 26 landowners. Residents adjacent to participating landowners also are able to be partial participants through a neighbouring monetary agreement.

Melbourne library first public building to get 6 Green Stars

The doors have opened on Australia’s most sustainable library. Located on the waterfront of Victoria Harbour, Australia’s most sustainable library, Library at The Dock has been granted Australia’s first 6 Star Green Star rating for a public building. Chief Executive of the Green Building Council of Australia, Romilly Madew, congratulated the City of Melbourne, Places Victoria and Lend Lease for a collaboration that has delivered an outstanding public asset. “Public buildings – whether they are national galleries or local libraries – are the heart of our communities.  For this very reason, public buildings should be efficient, healthy, productive and resilient.  The community now has independent proof that their library is all of these things”.

The three-storey building is the first public building in the country to be made from Cross Laminated Timber (CLT), a manufactured product using layers of timber to create solid panels. It is 30 per cent lighter than traditional structures, significantly reducing the requirement for new foundations.  The building’s passive design promotes natural ventilation, daylight and great indoor air quality, resulting in reduced energy consumption and a healthier, more productive indoor environment.Water is collected from the roof and discharged to a 55,000-litre tank in the nearby Victoria Green Park for reuse within the building.  A third of the building’s operational power will be supplied from 85kw solar panels on the roof.

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