Trials and tribulations

South East Queensland currently has one of the world’s highest penetrations of solar PV systems — a situation that looks set to increase further as more and more customers embrace renewable energy alternatives for homes and businesses.

This high level of uptake makes Queensland a particularly attractive market segment for members of the battery energy storage systems (BESS) sector and explains why energy distributor Energex has embarked on a BESS trial at the company’s test and training facility in Rocklea, Brisbane.

The purpose of the trials is to explore the effects of BESS technology on peak demand and power quality. Energex is particularly proactive when it comes to demand management, having previously developed the PeakSmart air-conditioning program. Customers that select an eligible appliance and connect it to the program are issued with a signal receiver from the retailer or installer, which caps energy consumption for short periods on a few days of the year. It’s akin to running the system on an economy setting and has no perceived impact on performance, ensuring users remain comfortable, according to Energex.

The company hopes to take learnings from the program and apply them to the BESS trials, ensuring that customers achieve optimum results from solar PV and battery storage systems.

For phase one of the trials, Energex has partnered with a number of companies including Redflow, Sunverge, Tesla, Reposit and SolarEdge. In addition, it has elected to install a Smart Hybrid System from Redback Technologies.

Fasil Worku, electrical engineer for Redback, said that the trials align neatly with the company’s goals.

“Redback is changing the way home owners and businesses use the solar power they generate, meaning savings on power bills, no power outages and at a lower upfront cost and a much faster return on investment than our competitors,” he said.

The trial will also explore remote access and control of systems at certain peak times, in much the same way as Energex’s current practice with hot water systems, pool pumps and, of course, air conditioners. All of which is aimed at easing demand and supporting the network.

The company is particularly pleased to have a Queensland-based partner in Redback and see the trial as part of a longer-term strategy to manage network demand based on the ever-changing usage habits of customers.

Adrian Roberts, Energex senior future tech implementation engineer, said, “Through this trial we will be able to record real time from the systems and observe the usage habits, which is similar to the smart technology processes we currently use for air conditioners and hot water systems.

“The trial also allows Energex staff to gain firsthand experience working with the latest technology and better understand the changes we are likely to see over the next 20 years,” he said.

Both sides were happy with the implementation and Worku said the installation was smooth.

“The installation was quick and easy. We’re confident Redback will stack up well in the testing and are looking forward to the results when they become available,” he said.