Trying to minimise merch can be a challenge.
What’s known in the industry as Solar Christmas is over for another year. At each of these events we seem to have an underlying theme. It was batteries last year, and nondescript white 5kW boxes the year before.
So what was big this year? Stackable all-in-one solutions.
Hosted at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, otherwise known as Jeff’s Shed, All Energy keeps getting bigger, which means I spent the whole first day stalking the aisles. Unlike events prior, the entire main hall was fillled with energy, so we didn’t have to share the space with the Waste Expo, the rubbish trucks were in another hall altogether.
Best quote of the day: “If they really want to encourage Australian Made, they could start with lowering the price of display space here. In square metre terms I can buy and own factory real estate for less than we pay to hire space here for two days,” – Rod Scott, CEO Selectronic.
Considering the eye-watering expense, you’d think the organisers would have a slick, mobile friendly app to help you navigate the place, but you’d be wrong. They print books and the online version is just the 380 page, advert filled proof, sent to the printers. Fine if you’re carrying a desktop display & mouse.
The punters don’t want to carry books, they literally take photos of the wall chart with their mobile.
Compare the screenshot of the utterly useless online map, when even the 2.4 metre high wall chart needs decent sized numbers.
What I Found Interesting
There was an entire section dedicated to electric mobility and EV charging, this took up even more floor space than previously occupied by the waste expo.
There were all manner of products from electrical infrastructure, payment organisers, DC chargers, AC chargers, bi-directional chargers and more.
Tap ‘n Go
Finally someone has developed tap & go payment for EV charging and demonstrated it worked. Not tied to any particular hardware, Nayax showed the process of plugging in, tapping the card and counting three, two, one… click! All they’ll have to do is educate the end user to tap their card a second time to stop charging.
Canyon Cable Management
I might write a whole article on the 4 different solar carports, but the clear winner was a local solution for EV charging leads. Using an inclined rail and linear bearing, Canyon are keeping the cables off the ground.
To be frank I think the biggest problem they’ll have is dissuading the drunks from thinking it’s a fun park ride.
This looked really well thought out
BiDi Is The Next Big Thing
With what I’ll call interesting brand marketing, UUgreenpower had some bi-directional car chargers on the wall with AS4777 approved stickers on them. It’ll be interesting to see how they go with network approvals and how many years the CEC will take to list them.
Lighting on these tradeshow stands makes getting a decent photograph impossible
Speaking of interesting branding, the people at eCactus have worked out they’re the butt of a few jokes in the Australian vernacular, so they have a new brand name. The external appearance is still that of pretty cheap gear.
Mate; that branding you’ve got is cactus.
Delta Are Tapping Out
The rep I spoke to said Delta are sadly no longer offering solar inverters, though they still honour the warranties on units returned to them.
They are focussing more on EV charging now with the likes of a 50kW DC fast charger in a pole mount configuration. Plus they have their 5th generation of domestic 7/22kW EVSE which is apparently “bi-directional ready” like many others are also claiming.
50kW DC car charger. Cable management here relies on a spring loaded retractor, much like some petrol stations
We may need to start a public awareness campaign on this terminology, because something that’s dealing with AC as bi-directional is relying on the inverter/charger in the car to do the work. An EVSE on the wall is little more than a glorified extension cord so promising bi-directional is akin to having a “battery ready” solar inverter. ie any inverter is battery ready if you have an AC coupled battery.
There’s an RFID function on this unit so you can tap it with a card or maybe a phone to activate it.
Mitsubishi Fuso eCanter Appeared
Without a word of explanation there was a nice new delivery truck cab-chassis sitting on the floor. How these aren’t already a thing is beyond me.
Nothing new to see here because it’s just a simple little truck.
Diesel is a huge percentage of delivery costs and converting a truck chassis to electric doesn’t involve designing a new vehicle at all. If fact this system looks like it would be ideal for repowering old trucks. With standardised chassis rail spacing, the important parts of this EV will just bolt across.
Using the same leaf spring chassis, this truck has a DeDion axle and drive shafts from a central transaxle motor unit.
A Tonne Of Hot Water
More than a few heat pumps showed up but this 1000 litre monster from Reclaim was impressive, showing that heat pumps are mature enough to take on the commercial market for large scale hot water systems with ring mains.
The scale of this thing was impressive.
We were also seeing more manufacturers taking a holistic home energy management system view. Personally I don’t think you could pay me to use Midea, but it’s good know they’re saving energy and getting on with making things simple for the end user with any luck.
Heat pump hot water, air conditioner, solar, battery, inverter & EVSE all in one ecosystem.
Other notable product launches included GoodeWe’s new ESA all-in-one home battery systems, Aiko’s claim of a world-first 500 W panel under 2m², and TrinaSolar’s new generation of Vertex S+ high-power solar panels.
There was also plenty on the agenda with presentations and seminars, as over 500 speakers tackled a range of issues, including the fallout from the battery rebate boom.
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About Anthony Bennett
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Great to see investment and new ideas coming together.
On the Electric truck. They have been in Australia for several years. Issues are massive increase to Tare weight. The NHVR are looking into increasing axle weights for heavy vehicles to accommodate this.
The other issue is these trucks are limited to city driving as they can’t go far before needing charging again.
Although there is one company Janus on the Central Coast of NSW. That is putting electric motors in older trucks. Some of these trucks are going from Sydney to Melbourne and they stop at Albury where a forklift removes the battery and puts in a charged one so the truck can continue.
That eCactus thing does seem pretty much cactus, with maximum for single phase all in one systems, of 6kW/10.24kWh capacity, compared to the Sigenergy and Goodwe 10kW/(~)48kWh single stacks. It is pretty much like the superseded Goodwe 5kW/10kWh one. Inadequate.
Whilst the cactus thing can have a number of the stacks in parallel, it eliminates the all in one single stack nature, and, a single stack cannot provide the whole of household 10kW load protected circuit functionality of the other two.
Apparently, Sigenergy and Goodwe (if and when theirs becomes available), still seem to be the only companies offering a single stack all in one system, with whole of house load protected circuit UPS functionality. And, of them, the far off in the future (if and when it becomes available) Goodwe one, seems to be the only true all in one system, as the Sigenergy one, requires the optional extra “gateway” thingy, for backup functionality, making their “all in one” system not really one.
I saw a comment on social media that made me think the battery rebate boom is infecting the renewables space with the same status-driven behaviour we see in other areas of life. A person was asked if they’d thought about using something like Amber, to trade surplus power stored in their 40 kWh home battery, with 30 kW (!) of panels.
‘No, we use all the surplus ourselves’. They must be smelting aluminium in the backyard. RIP efficiency.
Was there any indication when supplies of brand name batteries will become available?
Anthony,
Many thanks for the encouraging update. That’s a nifty job title in the blog-heading photo.
As the tech begins to slowly catch up with potential, it’s all a reminder that we’re still in the pioneering days of the transition – solar the economical enabler, batteries getting there, more battery-proportionately sized inverters on the wish-list for many. I’ve been waiting for the easy card payment for EV charging, as phone linking to the bank account seems madness to this 71 yo.
The bulging exhibition is very heartening; a flood of offerings is the minimum requirement for exponential transition, barely sufficient for the global situation we find ourselves in.
I’m just hoping that there’ll be enough fast chargers by the end of the decade that folk will switch away from buying HEVs, at least going for a PHEV, which can displace fossil fuel on commutes.
A really big tax write-off for BEV delivery trucks, to start them off, perhaps?
Hi Anthony,
A great wrap-up of All Energy 2025. For the majority of us who could not get there, your well-considered reviews are greatly appreciated.
Kind regards
Andrew
No worries Andrew,
It’s far from a complete rundown but there’s more to come.
Cheers