Redback Resurgence: New Solar Inverters And Batteries

Queensland’s Redback Technologies has launched its new range of solar inverters and batteries at All-Energy Australia in Melbourne today.

Indooroopilly-based Redback Technologies was founded in 2015, with its first products hitting the market in 2016. The company has faced its share of challenges over the years; particularly earlier this year when it entered voluntary administration. The search for a buyer or investor followed, and it emerged from voluntary administration just a couple of months later with new owners – Australia Ebon Group; a fintech company.

The new products being showcased at All-Energy Australia are:

I-Series Inverters

The I-Series features single- and three-phase grid-tie inverters in various capacities. Engineered for Australian conditions, all have an operating temperature range of -25°C to 60°C and efficiencies range from 97.3% to 98%.

The inverters feature smart load control, which can run a large load with surplus solar power when it’s available, and switch it off when it’s not. But if there hasn’t been enough sunshine during the day, the feature can still switch it on at the end of the day.

A smart meter and Wi-Fi dongle is included with all I-Series inverters as is comprehensive monitoring via the Redback Portal or MyRedback app. The company is backing the inverters with a 10-year warranty.

For further specifications, here’s the I-Series datasheet.

H-Series Batteries

Redback’s H-Series batteries are all-in-one solutions to be offered in AC and DC coupled options for single-phase homes, 3-phase homes, and residential applications with high energy needs.

• Hybrid Battery System: Two variants – 9.6 and 19.2 kWh capacities
• Hybrid Battery Max: Four variants – 10-25 kWh
• Hybrid Battery 3-Phase: Four variants – 15-50kWh

Whether those are nominal or usable capacities isn’t clear at this point. Cell chemistry isn’t mentioned, but as far as I know Redback only uses Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) these days.

As with the new inverters, the maximum operating temperature of the H-Series is 60°C. The single- phase H-Series enclosure measures 540 x 363 x 1270mm while the Max and 3-Phase are 652 x 380 x 1150mm.

The batteries provide backup supply in a power outage, and can continue charging with solar even when the grid is down.

All have Redback’s smart load control feature and monitoring can be accessed via the Redback Portal or MyRedback app.

The batteries are backed by a 10-year warranty and are expected to be available at the end of this year. A brochure and datasheets for all of the above (including inverters) can be downloaded here.

Commenting on the new range, Redback’s Chief Executive Officer Dr. Adrian Knack said last week the firm understood installers want simplified installation that is safe for them and for those living or working where products are being installed.

“We also know that as the cost of living continues to pinch Australians’ pockets, homeowners are looking for ways to save on their energy bills,” he said. “As we engineered our next generation range, our goal was clear: to help solve these problems for our customers, and contribute new, upgraded and more powerful systems to the market.”

If you’re attending All-Energy Australia, which being held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Center, you can check out prototypes of the entire new range today and tomorrow at stand T113 – just in and left from the front doors. Further details are also available on Redback Technologies’ web site.

Redback Batteries Now Amber SmartShift Compatible

In other news from the firm, Redback Technologies announced yesterday its products are compatible with Amber Electric’s SmartShift – this will include the new H-Series and all future batteries.

Amber Electric is a retailer selling electricity at the real-time wholesale price without any margin whacked on – members just pay a subscription fee of $22/month. Amber’s SmartShift program is designed for solar battery owners and involves an app that can control a battery to maximise savings as electricity prices fluctuate. It will charge a battery when wholesale prices are low or negative and discharge it into the grid when they are high, passing the windfall onto participants.

An initial 4-week beta trial involving more than 20 Redback customers reportedly went pretty smoothly, with “overwhelmingly positive feedback” from participants.

“The quality and attention from the Redback technical team has made this one of the most straightforward, and high quality integrations we’ve done,” said Amber’s Myles Eftos.

SQ’s Jono is an Amber SmartShift customer (but uses a different brand of battery) – you can read his review here.