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In Safer Solar
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Wilf Johnston, GM ANZ for Safer Solar member Enphase EnergyWilf Johnston, GM ANZ for Safer Solar member Enphase EnergyThe flooding of thousands of homes on the East Coast has highlighted the need for Australia to mandate rapid shutdown technology on solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, warns industry group Safer Solar. 

With solar panels installed on one in four Australian homes, many systems lack a quick and easy way to shut down solar panels in the event of a fault or emergency, creating a serious safety threat for homeowners, first responders and tradespeople. Solar panels that were not shut off before the floods may begin generating electricity when the sun shines, potentially without the safety systems designed to protect people from uncontrolled high-voltage electrical currents.

More than 90 per cent of rooftop solar PV systems installed in Australia include high voltage Direct Current (DC) wiring that is live whenever the sun is shining.  This 600-1000 volt current, which cannot be shut off during daylight, can jump a 100mm gap between a system component and any earthed conductive material. Any break in wiring insulation or weather sealing of components can allow an electrical arc to form. Approaching 1000 degrees Celsius, this arc is hot enough to ignite fires - and does so more than twice every day in Australia.  It can also deliver a lethal electric shock.

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In CitrusAd
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CitrusAd CEO and co-founder Brad MoranCitrusAd CEO and co-founder Brad MoranCheck out this interview with former AFL footballer and eCommerce entrepreneur Brad Moran, who last year sold his four-year-old business CitrusAd for $205 million. In the hour-long chat with Add to Cart podcast host Nathan Bush, Brad explains how CitrusAd became a $200M+ acquisition target by enabling retailers like Woolworths and Coles in Australia and Tescos and Target internationally to monetise the “digital shelves” on their eCommerce retailing sites.

In an episode called Horses are Better than Unicorns, Brad explains how he grew CitrusAd by listening and responding to retailers and equipping them to earn from $5000 a month to $10 million a month in extra advertising revenue. He also reveals how growth stalled for CitrusAd during the first six months of the COVID-19 pandemic and warns that Australian retailers need to embrace digital retail media systems within 12 months in order to defend themselves against an onslaught by the “Amazon ecosystem” within the next three to five years.

You can listen to Brad Moran’s Add to Cart interview at https://shows.acast.com/add-to-cart/episodes/horses-are-better-than-unicorns-the-citrusad-story-164.

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In Redflow
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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, 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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