The renewables market is currently being flooded with energy storage products to meet the increasing demand and hype for this technology. All of these products present a similar, well-scripted value proposition and all offer to deliver similar functionality. As a result, this rapid rush to market of these products and their advertising has created the […]
Tag: gses
Standalone: Past, Present and Future
Stand Alone Photovoltaic (PV) systems are amongst the oldest of applications of photovoltaic systems and are a testament to photovoltaic technology’s ability to operate in the most extreme of conditions. They are typically used in isolated locations with low or no population, or in place of conventional grid infrastructure in less-developed regions. Standalone systems, as […]
Micro Inverters vs DC Optimisers: An Australian Installer’s Perspective
In many ways the rapid uptake of PV in Australia over the last decade has caused the city-based PV installer a problem: many of the easy, large area, unobstructed, north-facing roofs have already been used. Often this leaves us with “sub-optimal” installation options involving small areas where only 1-4 modules will fit, roof areas that […]
The Use of Variable speed drives with solar water pumping systems
The use of solar photovoltaics (PV) technology as an alternative to traditional energy sources such as petrol and diesel generators to power electric water pumps has become increasingly apparent. Solar PV technology is used extensively by remote villages and farmers as the power source to pump water for domestic consumption, sanitation, livestock and irrigation. A […]
Big solar’s ascendancy as coal slips in the popularity stakes. How ready is the Australian solar industry?
The Adani-owned Carmichael mega-mine inches ever so slowly towards a final approval amid falling coal prices and fierce community opposition. At the same time Adani has recently expressed interest in solar farms in South Australia and Queensland. What will the growth of Australia’s large scale solar sector be set to experience? The large scale solar […]
PV System Design: How to compete effectively in the wider market place
Commercial-scale PV systems present enormous opportunities for our industry. However, the requirements to source and verify a range of site-specific data over a large site is challenging. To then ensure this data correctly forms part of all aspects of the system’s performance and installation requirements can be complicated and unfamiliar to some system designers and […]
In 2016, Shouldn’t the DeLorean be Electric?
The DeLorean Motor Company announced last week that the iconic DeLorean DMC-12, best known as the time machine in the “Back to the Future’ series, will be back in production soon (CNBC, Jan 2016). The plan at the moment is to produce 300 replica cars using existing spare parts stock. Is this an opportunity missed […]
Localised networks and demand side participation
The National Electricity Market (NEM) has been traditionally set up as a two sided market which allows for participation from the Supply Side and the Demand Side. With the rapid and continuous uptake of distributed generation and storage, the terminology and regulatory framework surrounding the “two sided” approach will have to change significantly. This article […]
Hoverboards, Fires and Residential Battery Storage
The recent personal transportation device craze that is “self-balancing electric scooters” – a.k.a. hoverboards, have been all over the news recently, but for the wrong reasons. It seems these new toys, or more specifically the batteries used, have a tendency to unexpectedly catch fire in a range of situations. The fact that there have also […]
Professional Development for the Energy Storage Industry – Who needs it?
The ever increasing publicity and media surrounding ‘Energy Storage’ is promulgated by all sectors of the energy market: industry journalists, network operators, energy retailers, equipment retailers, wholesalers, system designers, and installers. What training is currently available for the energy storage industry? From GSES’ perspective, as an engineering consultancy and training company, the additional knowledge and […]