Australian battery storage developer Redflow is off to a flying start for its new ZCell product, saying it has already received a $600,000 order from a Melbourne-based energy system installer, Standard Solar.
The $600,000 order is for 48 of the 10kWh zinc bromine flow batteries, suggesting the their wholesale price – at bulk – is about $12,500. Fully installed, with inverters etc, the system has been pitched at around $18,000.
That is at the top end of storage prices, but Redflow says it systems have a deeper depth of discharge and will last longer. It can be used for “timeshiftimg” solar power, as back-up power and to support off-grid systems.
Standard Solar was one of the first seven ZCell installation companies announced last month. Redflow says will start delivering the first batteries for this order during the next two weeks.
Standard Solar chief technology officer James Graham (left) says his company has already sold about half the ZCells from this initial order. The customers ranging from a government agency and an educational institution to businesses and home users.
“Most of these customers are driven by the desire to achieve greater energy independence, ranging from reducing their power costs to getting completely off the grid.”
Graham says the company has been receiving between 5 and 10 phone calls an hour about ZCell since it was announced as an installer.
“About 70 per cent are from early adopters who know quite a lot about batteries while the other 30 know only a little about them, but are interested. We’ve had only one off-grid inquiry. Most callers are looking for hybrid upgrades or seeking an entire energy storage system with solar PV.
Redflow Global Sales Director Andrew Kempster said the Standard Solar order demonstrated the strong interest in ZCell. “All our first installers report a lot of inquiries and a number of them have already placed their own orders,” he said.
“This level of interest confirms Redflow’s belief that there is a high level of unmet demand for energy storage systems in Australia.”
Reflow has said previously that it had received more than 1,200 “firm” enquiries into their battery storage products.
Giles Parkinson is founder and editor of One Step Off The Grid, and also edits and founded Renew Economy and The Driven. He has been a journalist for 35 years and is a former business and deputy editor of the Australian Financial Review.
