Batteries beat Snowy Hydro 2.0 on cost – Sound crazy? Read on…

In the Snowy Mountains, a monumental machine has begun to carve its way into the earth creating a giant tunnel for what will be one of the world’s largest pumped hydro energy storage systems.  The Snowy Hydro 2.0 scheme is so ambitious politicians may be legally required to wear two hard hats when posing for photo ops. [Read more…]

Ronald analyses the latest battery test results just as you like it. This twice-told tale shows the course of true battery love may not run smooth.

Do you enjoy reading about home batteries?  I know I do.  This is why I’m addicted to reports from the Canberra Battery Test Centre.  They’re like Shakespeare!  That is, they’re mostly tragedy but there’s also some comedy as well. [Read more…]

If you’re an Australian hoping to buy a Tesla Powerwall battery system, I have bad news.  It’s so bad that before I reveal it, you may want to sit down and prepare to offer words of comfort to your wallet. [Read more…]

Wanna go off-grid? Now you can officially do it with Tesla Powerwalls.

Please Note; Tesla withdrew support for off-grid applications of the Powerwall 2 in March 2023. Off-grid systems installed before March 31, 2023, would continue to be supported, but new off-grid installations after that date would not be recommended or covered by warranty.

For the ordinary on-grid customer, batteries are optional. They’re nice to have if you can afford them. Although they’re unlikely to pay for themselves, there are plenty of people who want them for backup, lower power bills, and the joy of using much less grid electricity.

But if you’re off-grid (as I am), batteries aren’t optional – they are how you get through the night and have the lights come on in the morning. [Read more…]

Table salt could hold the key to bigger, cheaper Li-ion batteries.

Just before Australia went into its traditional summer stupor, someone from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in America got in touch with me about research into single-crystal technologies for Lithium-ion batteries.

[Read more…]

Jason’s garage in Geraldton. Those funky looking black tubes are 4 x 1.93 kWh Zenaji batteries.

Jason Bertelsen isn’t a name in the renewables sector – he’s a customer. However, his story, in particular his decision to put money into Zenaji batteries, intrigued us enough to get in touch for an interview. [Read more…]

Ten years ago, a “couple of sparkies” from the Riverina headed north and set up an electrical services business in Mackay, Queensland, catering to the mining industry.

Today, Jason Sharam (managing director) and Peter Shaw (CEO) run an electrical services business with a very noticeable difference: they now have what is probably close to unique – an off-grid solar-powered manufacturing facility with “100% renewable” as its goal. [Read more…]

The LAVO hydrogen battery is a feat of engineering -but who will buy it?

If all you’ve ever wanted out of life is to own an Australian made, hydrogen-powered, fuel cell, energy storage system then I have some really good news for you.  In October, Australian company LAVO launched a hydrogen energy storage system for homes and businesses.  While it’s mainly a fuel cell, they refer to it as a hydrogen battery, so if you want to call it a battery knock yourself out. [Read more…]

Despite promising to reduce energy storage costs, Tesla keeps increasing the price of its Powerwall home battery.

On September the 23rd I woke up at 5:00 am to listen to Elon Musk’s Battery Day announcement where the world was told Tesla would cut the cost of batteries in half by 2025.  We were told they would:

• Lower the cost of battery cells.
• Lower the cost of battery factories.
• Reduce the cost of raw materials required.

[Read more…]

Will solar sales soon go to the dogs without batteries? Image: Adelaide Solar Safe

Australia has seen a decade of explosive growth in renewables, but there’s another big change coming. According to Green Energy Trading chair Ric Brazzale, we’re very close to the peak of new rooftop solar PV. [Read more…]