Ice Energy, a provider of distributed thermal energy storage solutions, has announced that it has entered into an agreement with Apricus Australia for it to become the exclusive distributor of all Ice Energy products in in the country.
Apricus will market and sell to all market segments, including utilities, commercial and industrial, and residential, and will be responsible for installation and service. Initially the products will be imported from the U.S., but the mutual intent of the parties is for Apricus to manufacture locally as sales increase.
“We’re delighted to be partnering with Apricus in this new market for Ice Energy,” said Mike Hopkins, CEO of Ice Energy. “Over the past 12 months we’ve had a steadily growing number of inquiries from Australia about our products. This is not surprising, given the needs of the country’s grid, the importance of their cooling load, and the ability of our products to turn that load into a cost-effective and reliable storage resource capable of flattening peak demand and eliminating solar over-generation.
“Our preferred model for markets outside the U.S. is to partner with a local company capable of, and interested in, operating all aspects of our business in that market. Of equal importance, we look for a company whose core values align with ours, and whose culture aligns with or complements ours. It’s a testament to just how good a fit our companies are as partners, that this arrangement came together in only a few months. We couldn’t be more excited about this new relationship and new market.”
“We share Ice Energy’s enthusiasm about our partnership, as well as about the Australian market for Ice Energy products,” said Chris Taylor, Director of Apricus Australia. “There are terrific applications for the whole product line, but the hybrid AC/energy storage system for the home, with its ability to provide cooling 24/7, make ice with excess solar generation and cool for four hours without needing electricity to create the cooling for that period, is a truly disruptive product tailor-made for Australia.”