The WattGrid energy storage system is used to store energy produced by rooftop solar panels.
Indigenous-owned energy company AllGrid recently launched a solar energy battery storage system in Adelaide and raised the possibility that it may open a manufacturing plant in the city.
WattGrid, the new energy storage system used to store energy produced by rooftop solar panels, allows households to store up to 10 kilowatt hours of power (about half of the average daily household usage).
Some of the components for the system are made overseas and the units are currently assembled in Brisbane. However, the company may expand its manufacturing operations into South Australia.
“If the demand is required we’re actually going to start manufacturing here in Adelaide, we already have an office here and fulltime staff so the employment opportunities are starting to roll in,” AllGrid CEO Ray Pratt said.
Adelaide would be an attractive option for AllGrid because Adelaide City Council is offering a rebate of up to $5,000 for homes and businesses in the CBD which install the WattGrid units. (They currently retail for around $12,500).
South Australian Aboriginal Affairs Minister Kyam Maher welcomed the launch of the battery systems.
“The company has already established a sales office in the city, has engaged 10 contractors for installation work and will build the cabinets required to store the battery system in South Australia,” he said.
“AllGrid is confident it will create more than 30 jobs as the solar battery system is introduced throughout the state.”