Category Archives: Sustainability

ZCell Launched

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I’ve been working very hard with a wonderful team for quite some time now on launching the home-optimised version of the unique and very nifty Redflow ZBM2 battery.

Today we launched a new web site to announce that product (shipping mid year).

We’ve called it “ZCell”.

ZCell Logo

ZCell Logo

You can read all about it at http://www.zcell.com

For a variety of reasons (that you can read about at our FAQ section), we think this really is a better mousetrap. Its materially different (in better ways) to lead-acid and lithium based batteries.

We’ve been beavering away very busily here in Adelaide at Base64 on key aspects of taking this industrial-strength battery technology and reframing it as an easy to use, easy to install home energy storage system.

This technology is a huge passion of mine. I am quietly hopeful that we can make a positive difference to the world with it.

Why batteries will not cause mass defection from the grid

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There’s a popular belief that the looming presence of batteries in people’s homes will lead to the widespread defection of those customers from the power grid.

In this view, living the dream means grid-independence where you harvest your own energy, one-finger salute the power companies and, when grid power fails for others in the street, your battery keeps the party going at your house.

While cutting the power cord sounds good in theory, in practice consumers gain many more advantages from staying connected to the grid.

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New Net, New Grid – FiRe 2015

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In October this year I had the pleasure of having an in depth conversation about how the new energy grid and the new Internet grid is starting to evolve – and about the interesting similarities and overlaps that are evolving between the two.

A key thrust of the conversation related to the way that scalable energy storage is the transformative physical component driving changes in how the energy grids of the world will work in the future.

That conversation was undertaken between myself and Larry Smarr.

Larry was the perfect partner for this conversation. He is someone I have had the pleasure to have known in various contexts for some years now, and (as you will see in the video), we share some similar views on the topics concerned. I had a great time riffing with him on these topics.

The video of this conversation is available for your viewing pleasure here.

It is a 15 minute video that was excerpted from a half hour session at the Future In Review conference held in Park City, Utah in October 2015.

The Future In Review conference is pretty amazing – I’ve been a part of it for many years. This year I was (of course) wearing my Redflow hat loudly and proudly at the event 🙂

 

 

The New Power Game: Grid-scale batteries hit an inflection point

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I’ve written a letter recently called “The New Power Game”

It looks at:

  • The rise of renewable electricity generation at grid scale
  • How grid scale renewables are starting to do the grid more harm than good
  • Why the addition of batteries at grid scale is the key to resolving that challenge
  • How this combination can replace (not merely augment) fossil-fuelled generators
  • Why new battery types – especially Flow Batteries – are ideally suited to this task

I found this very interesting to research and to write, and I hope that you find it just as interesting to read.

Please click on the link below to read ‘A New Power Game’.

The-New-Power-Game

This letter was written originally for subscribers to the Strategic News Service (SNS). It is posted here with their kind permission.

Tesla Model S arrival

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Its been a long time coming. Back in 2012 I ordered a Tesla Motors Model S, on the day they were announced. I believe that my car was order #69 in the world, and at the time there was no guarantee when – or if – they’d be sold in Australia.

A few weeks ago, and around 60,000 Model S vehicles later, my shiny new Pearl White and Carbon Fibre Black P85+ is finally in its home in Adelaide, South Australia.

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Of startups and electric cars

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Here is a recording of an interview I did with Charlie Brown for his “Life and Technology” show. This was aired on Radio 2GB on Saturday 9th August 2014.

 

This conversation was about two distinct topics – the challenges of starting a company in Australia and also about electric cars in this country.

You can also read more about Tesla and their cars – with some more thoughts from me as well on that topic, at the cybershack web site.

 

Energy Efficient Housing in Germany

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Some friends of mine live in Königs Wusterhausen, in the outskirts of the Berlin area. This is a lovely lovely area bordered by lakes and forests. Of course, given its location, it gets quite cold in winter

They have built a highly energy efficient house there, which contains a number of great features that I would love to incorporate in an upcoming home renovation back in Adelaide.

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Electric Vehicles and Luxury Car Tax

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Most first-world countries have a variety of incentives designed to encourage the purchase and use of Electric Vehicles (EVs) on public roads.

Wikipedia has a great summary of these incentives. Unfortunately, Australia is conspicuous by its absence from that list of enlightened countries. There are no meaningful incentives from the federal or state government in Australia to help to drive the adoption of zero emission vehicles.

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