Australian solar and energy storage company ZEN Energy has received a AUS$200,000 (US$184,000) grant from local government toward the development and commercialisation of its energy storage technologies.
The company was one of four selected in February this year by the South Australian government to move to Tonsley in Adelaide to establish a ‘clean tech hub’. ZEN Energy relocated in July as a result to become part of the new Sustainable Industries Education Centre.
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Last week, as the state minister for manufacturing Susan Close toured its facilities, she announced that ZEN Energy had received the AUS$200,000 state grant for its energy storage technologies.
Local news outlet Adelaide Now reported Close saying at the visit that the financial support given to ZEN Energy showed the state's “commitment to supporting research and development into technology that demonstrates real commercial outcomes”.
Susan Close also said the use of the grant to establish manufacturing and research and development facilities would help the company to “attract additional engineers, electricians and software specialists”.
ZEN Energy said it would set up a research and development facility with the grant, with the company’s chief executive officer Richard Turner calling storage the “leading edge of technology development” in the energy industry worldwide.
Better known for its solar installations in Australia, ZEN Energy claims it has installed around 15,000 PV systems for commercial and residential customers to date. It launched its storage product, ZEN Freedom Powerbank, to enable customers to be grid independent, to store solar or wind energy for later use and also to shift peak loads. The company offers its storage products to residential, commercial, grid-scale and off-grid markets, using lithium-ion phosphate batteries.
Better known as a solar installer in South Australia, ZEN Energy has received a modest grant to develop and commercialise its ZEN Freedom Powerbank energy storage systems. Images: ZEN Energy.
