Australian startup offers retractable PV sytem with containerized vanadium redox flow battery
Western Australia-headquartered Australian Flow Batteries (AFB) have used the Australian Automation and Robotics Precinct (AARP) to demonstrate its diesel replacement system, which is a mobile, rapidly deployable hybrid power solution combining a 123-metre retractable solar array with a containerized vanadium redox flow battery (VRFBs).
AFB Managing Director Shane Meotti said having access to a dedicated testing environment that replicates real-world conditions, without the constraints and risks of testing at active operational sites, has accelerated AFB’s diesel replacement system significantly.
“The ability to bring potential clients to the site and demonstrate our system’s capabilities in a safe, yet realistic environment has been invaluable,” Meotti said.
“The unexpected insights we gained from the comprehensive testing program have helped us refine our technology in ways that wouldn’t have been possible otherwise.”
According to an AARP outline of AFB’s demonstration, the company has used one of the facility’s seven test bed sites and began validation of its system with the commissioning of the VRFB and has included electrical cable management, monitoring the retractable solar array mechanisms and studying the impact of environmental conditions on energy production and storage.
The system was packed up and redeployed to conduct 24-hour operational cycles and testing of the system’s response to varying load demands and environmental conditions.
AFB found that the system supplied 63% of total power needs from renewable sources during 24-hour operation in low sun conditions and met up to 82% of power requirements through renewable energy during periods of high variable loads.
A long-term cost analysis found the system’s electricity costs are approximately 25% of traditional diesel generation over a 10-year period and demonstrated a potential daily diesel saving of 143 liters per unit, with typical CO2 reductions of 386 kg per day observed in similar installations.
AARP is located 38 km north of the Perth CBD. It was opened officially in November 2024, made possible with an AUD 28 million ($17.4 million) investment from the Western Australia government.
Other organizations using AARP include Solar Energy Robotics, which has been testing its autonomous solar cleaning robot, a fully autonomous waterless and self-powered cleaning robot specifically designed for remote operations, and, a fast charging 4WD battery collaboration between industrial battery company Switch Technologies and technology company, Echion Technologies.
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