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In Redflow

/ Published on 24 February 2022

Underwriters Laboratories, SES and Redflow at Stress Texas Facility 24th January 2022. Left to Right: Judy Jeevarajan, Ph.D., vice president and executive director of Electrochemical Safety Research Institute (ESRI), Underwriters Laboratories Inc.; Daniel Juarez-Robles, Ph.D., research scientist, ESRI, Underwriters Laboratories Inc.; Steven Kinyon, Ph.D., P.E., principal, SES; Steve Hickey, CTO, Redflow; Carlos Lopez, P.E., senior associate, SES; Tim Harris, CEO Redflow

Underwriters Laboratories Inc. has selected Redflow ZBM batteries to carry out research to characterize the operating and safety profile of redox flow batteries under nominal and off-nominal conditions. 

The Electrochemical Safety Research Institute at Underwriters Laboratories has undertaken the test program in collaboration with Stress Engineering Services Inc. (SES) and Redflow to understand key technical attributes of redox flow batteries, study their cycle life and aging properties and to understand how the batteries behave under off-nominal conditions of overcharge, over-discharge and external short-circuit conditions. Six Redflow batteries were purchased by Underwriters Laboratories in 2021 and arrived at the SES facility in Texas in December. The test program commenced in January 2022 and will run for a number of months.

“We are delighted to be working with industry leaders Underwriters Laboratories and SES to verify the performance and safety characteristics of flow battery storage using our Redflow batteries,” said Tim Harris, managing director and CEO of Redflow. “Redflow’s CTO Steve Hickey and I were able to meet the Underwriters Laboratories and SES teams at their Texas facility last month to advise on the setup of the Redflow batteries and provide broader input on the test program.”

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In Innovation

/ Published on 21 February 2022

Makerspace Adelaide Operations Manager Laura Gransbury Makerspace Adelaide, a volunteer-run organisation that equips people, from teens to retirees, to share and build old and new skills, will hold a fundraising auction this Friday, February 25, to fund its post-pandemic life.

At the auction, from 7pm, people will bid for volunteers to undertake projects using equipment at Makerspace Adelaide, ranging from laser cutters and sewing machines to 3D printers and traditional hand tools. One item for auction is access to a smoke ring machine, which normally rents to events such as parties for $500, while another is a Cosmic Ray Detector. Only 50 public tickets are available for the Save Our Makerspace auction. Click here for details.

After two years of planning, Makerspace Adelaide opened the doors of its 700-square-metre premises at 100 Franklin Street, Adelaide, in January 2020 - just weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic hit Australia. Despite lockdowns, social distancing and other COVID concerns, Makerspace Adelaide has attracted more than 1000 people to use its facilities in the two years since. 

This community fabrication workshop provides members with affordable access to a range of tools and equipment and volunteers who help members learn how to use them safely. A strong focus on sustainability includes a textile reuse program to transform old clothing into new items or turning old plastic into 3D filament. 

Makerspace Adelaide Operations Manager Laura Gransbury said the volunteer-run organisation had to leave its current premises because it could not afford to pay commercial rent. “Despite strong community support, we’ve been unable to thread that cashflow needle, so we need to move at the end of March,” she said.

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In Enphase Energy

/ Published on 09 February 2022

Enphase microinverter-equipped solar panels on CFS harvest energy for the rebuilt Stokes Bay Community Hall

Eighteen Enphase microinverter-equipped REC solar panels will provide energy for the $1.3 million reconstructed Stokes Bay Community Hall, which was destroyed by catastrophic bushfires in 2020.

Located on the north coast of Kangaroo Island, Stokes Bay has a population of more than 200 people, for whom the 60-year-old hall is the heart of the community. In January 2020, a bushfire badly damaged the hall and destroyed a recently completed adjacent kitchen building, as well as 17 houses in the community. Across Australia, the Black Summer bushfires of 2019-20 caused 33 deaths, destroyed 3094 houses and burned more than 17 million hectares.

As part of the rebuilding project supported by the Prince’s Trust, Enphase Energy has provided 18 IQ7+ microinverters for 18 370-watt REC solar panels, which were installed on a nearby Country Fire Service (CFS) shed by Enphase partner Energy SA. 

The 6.66 kilowatt-peak (kWp) solar system, with a retail value of about $12,000, will provide energy for the rebuilding project this year and for the entire hall when it’s completed in the second half. As Stokes Bay lacks fixed-line Internet access, Energy SA installed a 4G modem at the hall to enable remote monitoring of the system using the Enphase Enlighten web-based solar energy monitoring software. Enphase also donated five years worth of monitoring data for the system.

Stokes Bay Community Hall Committee Treasurer Michael Stanton said the hall was the heart of the small community. “We use it every week for everything from tennis club meetings and church services to sports tournaments and Christmas shows,” he said. 

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