Solar Maverick: Sydney start-up unveils portable PV game-changer

Sydney-based tech start-up 5B has unveiled its pre-fabricated and portable solar technology that it says could be a game-changer for the commercial solar sector in Australia, as more and more businesses seek to offset rising power costs.
The 100 per cent portable and fast to install solar solutions, called Maverick, have been engineered and tested by the team at 5B over a number of years, to be shipped to a project site ready made, and then packed up and moved when no longer needed.
This means that a 1MW ~$1 million capital project, for example, can be built by a team of six in just five-days. And the systems are also made to be battery storage ready.
As we noted here last year, this sort of portable solar technology should have big appeal for developers crunching numbers on construction and labour costs in regional and remote areas, or for mine-sites which might need solar power for a 5 to 10-year project.
The innovative concept has also recently received backing from the federal government in the form of a $250,000 grant to accelerate commercialisation.

“It’s no secret that industry leaders are increasingly looking towards renewables to offset rising energy costs,” said 5B chief executive Chris McGrath.
“A 12kW MAV block can be deployed or packed back-up ready for transport in less than 10 minutes. That’s because we prefabricate the solution in our factory, which removes the majority of costly on-site installation requirements and reduces project risk.
“The system is also readily compatible with energy storage, so businesses can save the extra energy they produce.
McGrath says the technology will be of particular benefit to large-scale and remote energy, mining and infrastructure projects, as well as power generators and solar farm construction contractors.
“With both grid-connected and off-grid customers facing rising energy costs, our technology coupled with increasingly affordable energy storage will help to remove some pressure from a business’ bottom line,” he said.