The 55th Annual Solar Energy Conference kicked off its second day with talks about all things solar, battery storage and smart homes.
The well attended event showcased in Melbourne’s Convention and Exhibition centre featured speakers from all around Australia. It also showcased latest technologies from well known Battery storage and Solar brands such Enphase and REC.
Energy Matters staff attended many of the conferences sessions including “Understanding battery life” and “Internet of Things and Big Data.”
The event which is held each year in Melbourne runs over two days, this year over the 3rd and 4th of May.
Solar Energy Conference: Understanding Battery Life
This talk which was hosted by chair Brian England focused on different battery technologies with Mr England beginning by saying “Customers want to know how long these technologies are going to last and when they need to be replaced”.
The speakers who followed then talked up their respective battery technologies including lead-acid based and lithium iron technologies. Dane Muldoon the speaker on lithium batteries addressed the crowd of industry professionals saying,
“Lithium batteries have market and mind share… unlike traditional lead batteries they come from a lighter element than lead and that’s useful”
“Residential installations that take up a small footprint is beneficial.”
During his talk Mr Muldoon also talked on the positives of lithium iron over lead batteries including their higher round-trip efficiency.
Solar Energy Conference: IoT and Big Data
This seminar after lunch explored the idea of the Internet of Things (IoT) and the modern implications of what this means from both a consumer and industry standpoint.
The first speaker Emlyn Keane spoke to the audience about what exactly the concept is and how it is useful.
‘[IoT is a] series of devices sharing information…it provides us with the Big Data…It’s not just about collecting data its analyzing that data to benefit us.”
Another speaker on the panel Ben Cameron saying,
“These are not new concepts they are new terms…This is the first year more devices are talking to each other than people”
Energy Matters has previously published a guide on what IoT and Smart Home are and what it could mean to customers looking to access smarter more efficient homes.
Energy Matters’ parent company, Flex, is pioneering the latest connected home technologies and that is one of the reasons why Wink is also under its wing. As one of the most adopted smart home platforms in the world, Wink is already helping connect more than 2.3 million IoT products through the Wink platform.
