Just after the launch of a new battery management system (BMS) for its ZCell home ESS, Australian firm Redflow has certified a compatible inverter from energy storage management provider Redback Technologies.
Redflow’s new ZCell home battery, launched in March, is a 10 kilowatt hour (kWh) flow battery that can ‘timeshift’ solar power from day to night, store off-peak power for peak demand periods and support off-grid systems.
Redflow has now fully integrated the ZCell with Redback’s Smart Hybrid Solar Inverter System, which manages energy supplies from the grid, PV solar panels and a battery to enable users to achieve greater savings by self-consuming more of their on-site generated power.
With one in five homes in Australia now equipped with solar power, home storage systems are gaining in popularity but the rush will be on to get them in place with solar subsidies due to end in New South Wales at the end of this year.
Feed-in tariffs will be reduced, hence the need for smarter home energy systems if savings are to be made.
The ZCell, which is made primarily of plastic, aluminium and steel, has 100% depth of discharge and a daily energy output of 10kWh.
Redback’s technology is hosted in Microsoft’s Azure IoT Suite cloud platform, running on a cloud-enabled intelligent system for analytics and remote control, which monitors consumption patterns, moving the use of appliances such as pool pumps and hot water into the “solar window” so they can be optimised to maximise self-consumption of rooftop solar.
Redback Technologies Founder and Managing Director Philip Livingston said he looked forward to working with Redflow as the energy storage sector develops.
“Australia is the perfect place from which to build a globally relevant energy storage sector based on local innovation, Redback Technologies is building the infrastructure for the next generation grid and partnering with Redflow provides choice to consumers and solar installers. We are going to put more money into homeowners’ pockets and create cleaner energy for our children’s future,” he said.
