As installed system capacity continues to increase in the Australian PV market, it is valuable for system designers and installers to understand the mechanisms behind moulded case circuit breakers, and the meaning behind their ratings. A moulded case circuit breaker (MCCB) is a type of electrical protection device that is used to protect the electrical […]
Category: News
Hacking the Battery Management System
First and foremost, it must be stated that GSES is very optimistic about the capability of new energy storage technology. GSES is confident that those that are involved in transition of the electricity grid are moving quickly to make new technology better, cheaper, safer and more secure. That said, a topic which has not been […]
The Pacific Perspective – The Energy Tri-lemma, Battery Storage in American Samoa and New Zealand Case Studies.
Last week Samoa held the Pacific Power Associations (PPA) 26th Annual conference in Samoa. As an allied member of the PPA and a Pacific training organisation, GSES attended the week-long conference. The Island Nations in the Pacific rely predominantly on diesel generators in large or micro-grid configurations for power supply. These Nations have turned to […]
AS/NZS 4777.1:2016 – Key updates to the standard and what they mean for installers
The latest version of the Australian and New Zealand Standard: Grid connection of energy system via inverters – Installation requirements (AS/NZS 4777.1:2016) was released on 30 September 2016. There is a transition period of 6 months, therefore this standard will come into effect at the end of this month (30th March 2017). AS /NZS 4777.1:2016 […]
System Economics of a Stand Alone Power Supply Systems
The power sources most familiar for the supply of renewable energy – wind, sun and water – are considered to be freely available; therefore a common assumption is that the energy provided by these power sources is also free. A stand-alone power system (SAPS), in order to take advantage of ‘free’ energy sources, costs money […]
Residential Demand Charges – What is it, and can solar and battery storage help?
With the impending closure of Hazelwood and the Prime Minister’s talk of ‘clean coal’, attention on electricity prices in 2017 has so far centred around the effect coal-fired stations have on the cost of electricity. The introduction of a new tariff charge by some utilities which have directly affected some customers from 1st January 2017, […]
Industry wide Improvement in Ingress Protection Safety Thanks to CEC Guidelines
Under the Renewable Energy Target (RET) requirements, solar photovoltaic (PV) power systems must be installed to relevant Australian standards and Clean Energy Council (CEC) guidelines in order to receive Small-scale Technology Certificates (STCs). To monitor this, the Clean Energy Regulator’s RET inspection program has been running since 2010 and the CEC review the outcomes of […]
The Blockchain Buzz
Over the past several months, there has been an increase in the amount of reference to Blockchain technology and what it can do for the renewable energy sector. Much has been written about this technology such as this article and this article. A number of global companies have even started to trial blockchain based energy […]
GSES Training: PV Gains a Further Foothold on Nauru
GSES has conducted PV system installation training on Nauru twice. The most recent training session was conducted by Dr. Rick Potter in November 2016.Nauru is a tiny island located just half a degree south of the equator and east of Papua New Guinea and the Solomon islands. The island is only 21 km² and one […]
GSES Co-Founder Susan Neill Retiring at End of Year
After 30 years of significant contribution to the burgeoning renewable energy industry, on 31st December Ms Susan Neill will be entering retirement. As the industry has matured, the history of the industry and the people who helped to build it are often lost on industry participants,. It is fitting then that we pay tribute to […]