Battery Storage

Resilient Energy Collective Provides Off-Grid Power to Bushfire Effected Areas

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Photo: https://www.resilientenergy.com.au

Australian billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes has co-founded the Resilient Energy Collective, an initiative designed to bring solar power and battery storage solutions to communities that have had energy supplies disabled through the effects of bushfires and storms. 

Following the recent bushfire crisis in Australia which has destroyed lives, wildlife, communities and important infrastructure there are many areas that are still without normal services such as electricity. The Resilient Energy Collective has teamed in with 5B, an innovator designing portable and prefabricated solar arrays and Telsa, with their reliable battery storage, to provide stand-alone power systems to communities and essential services. 

It is a shift away from the need to rely on the pole and wire approach for power and electricity that can provide more stability to remote locations and communities which are vulnerable to the changing effects of the climate. The systems themselves can be deployed within a day and will ensure clean and reliable energy that not only establishes and reconnects services for communities but will also contribute greatly to a more sustainable future. 

“In the future, we see a world in which many remote communities operate on solar power, off-the-grid. It will be more stable, more resilient and less prone to damage,” Cannon-Brookes says.

“This is a perfect solution to a massive problem. It will restore power faster. It’s renewable, reliable and clean.”

Battery Storage Basics

The type of battery storage technology which is now being used to store solar energy is a fairly new development, the last couple of years in fact. The batteries use a chemical process which allows for the storage of electrical energy which can then be used at a later time. 

The main reason for considering a battery system for your premise is that despite the abundance of the Sun’s irradiance, photovoltaic solar panels rely on direct sunlight in order to produce electricity. So when there is little or no sunlight there will be a decrease in energy production and the consumer would therefore have to revert to the grid as an energy provider.

Battery storage fosters self-sufficiency when it comes to energy production and consumption, its very easy to mitigate the risks of rising energy costs, avoid power outages and decrease the reliance on environmentally harmful fossil based fuels. 

Specific benefits for investing in battery technology will vary depending on the system size and design which will be taking into account the specific needs and requirement of each project but there is a lot to gain by investing into the great energy storage technologies available today.