Would GP Bat be involved in such a li-ion technology...
http://www.afr.com/p/national/holy_solar...MSt75pFncN
“Holy s##t!” Solar panel batteries rev up electricity prices
PUBLISHED: 18 HOURS 59 MINUTES AGO | UPDATE: 18 HOURS 59 MINUTES AGO
James Deutsher with his new Zero SR electric storage motorcycle; it’s not yet plugged into a solar power system yet, but it can be. Photo: Josh Robenstone
BEN POTTER AND ANGELA MACDONALD-SMITH
Out of the garage, the red and black Zero SR motorcycle purring contentedly below Melbourne’s Bolte Bridge is a beast that produces 60 horsepower and has won a “Holy s##t!” road-test rating from Gizmag.
At home, it doubles as a 14kWh storage battery that the bike’s owner can plug into a solar roof-top system to power the house and avoid peak grid charges.
It’s part of a new wave of battery technology that – if embraced by the 1.3 million Australian households with roof-top solar panels – threatens to tighten the screws on an electricity industry already battling falling demand.
New generation batteries like those in the Zero motorcycle or in stationary storage systems are a quantum leap forwards for households that make their own electricity. They come with grid management systems that crunch data and tell you whether it’s better value now to use solar power, store it for later use, sell it back to the grid or buy electricity from the grid.
Adam Dalby, owner of Solar Australia in Newcastle, has installed 16 lithium-ion storage systems costing $7500 to $14,000 for a fridge-sized 8kWh system, which can make a household self-sufficient 70-80 per cent of the time.
Bigger systems could just about take them “off the grid”. Dalby says houses in NSW can save 52¢ /kWh at peak times by storing solar power for later rather than having to sell it into the grid at the reduced 6¢ feed-in-tariff.
ELECTRIC INDUSTRY’S DEATH SPIRAL
Experts warn that this could accelerate the electricity industry’s “death spiral”, pushing up costs for anyone reliant on the grid. As industry shutdowns and energy efficiencies cut electricity demand, network charges – more than half of retail prices – rise. The more people cut their use, the more prices rise.
That is raising tensions between “Big Power”, solar households and others. Anger at Big Power blaming solar roof-tops’ runaway success adds to the momentum. Certainly, scorn for Big Power was palpable at a Thursday event put on by Solar Citizens – a 50,000-strong lobby for solar households – in Melbourne.
The home storage market is starting to stir. James Deutsher, who imports Zeros from California and has sold 10 from his Collingwood warehouse, says 40 per cent of inquiries are from “green-oriented” people; the rest want “the next curve in motorcycle evolution”.
At $19,000-$25,000, the Zero SR isn’t cheap and none is yet connected to a solar system. Most modern storage systems are stationary stacks of lithium-ion batteries and demand management smarts. Industry adviser Nigel Morris estimates about 150 systems have been sold this year, up from 50-100 for 2013.
Soaring retail energy prices and the slashing of feed-in tariffs from 60¢ or more, to 6-8¢ encouraged Bosch Australia to bring in the high-end BPT-S 5 Hybrid, which provides 4.4-13.2 kWh. It sells for about $25,000-$30,000 retail.
“That’s the main driver now,” said Frederik Troester, head of power tech sales. The range uses the same batteries as a Mercedes S Class hybrid and comes with a 15-year warranty.
COST STILL AN OBSTACLE
Cost is still an obstacle. Dalby’s systems have a typical nine-year payback. But lithium-ion battery prices have halved since 2008, and some see a 75 per cent drop over the next decade. Dalby sees a tipping point in two years “People will become interested and think, ‘well, that price is right’.”
Iain MacGill, associate professor of electrical engineering at UNSW, says lithium-ion storage is a “game changer” that makes quitting the grid feasible – a “revolutionary thought” that “could change the nature of the discussion”.
MacGill cautions safety is an issue – stored energy can escape as fire. Lucy Carter, a research fellow in the Grattan Institute’s energy program, says it is still not strictly economical for many.
But Carter says that such things “go out the window” when prices fall and hobbyists and those cheesed off with suppliers take to new technology. “They are doing it because it’s cool”, she tells AFR Weekend. She has seen storage systems at home shows. “That’s a good indication that someone senses there’s a mainstream market for them.” The systems can “shave the peaks” on critical days, she says, helping to parry the “free-rider” charge that dogs solar.
On Thursday, the Solar Citizens event was part revival meeting, with testimonials from “saved” solar householders, and part campaign rally to warn politicians off any changes to the renewable energy target – one of the props for solar . A crowd of about 200 – earnest faces, cycling gear and a few “crazy professor” hairdos – cheered strategies to “sting” suppliers.
“I am now inclined to say, ‘stuff the utilities, stuff the government’, put on more panels and go off the grid,” said Peter Campbell of Templestowe, a Collins Street IT consultant.
Morris likened the industry campaign against the RET to “a boxer on the ropes, who starts swinging crazily because he feels he is going down”.
Homepage
PR Newswire
