Australian technology and lifestyle company, LAVO has produced the world’s first residential-commercial hydrogen battery, which aims to revolutionise how rooftop solar-generated energy is stored for use when the sun doesn’t shine, or when the grid grinds into a blackout.
The hydrogen hybrid battery, designed for everyday use by residential homes and businesses, stores over 40 kilowatt-hours of electricity – enough to power an average home for 2 days.
The technology was designed in partnership with the University of New South Wales’ hydrogen research facility. Professor Kondo-Francois Aguey-Zinsou, Chief Scientist and Executive Director of LAVO and lead researcher in hydrogen technologies at UNSW said that the LAVO System is a gamechanger for energy storage.
“While metal hydride is a proven and widely used technology, the enhanced hydride technology that we have developed is versatile and scalable and, importantly, safe and reliable for consumer use,” he pointed out.
The system is approximately the size of a fridge and weighing 324 kilograms. At installation, it is connected to a solar PV system via a (hybrid) inverter and to mains water via a purification system.
The technology is well-positioned to capitalise on global green energy demands and the shift toward renewable energy. In Australia, LAVO benefits from an increasingly favourable regulatory environment at both a state and federal level, including the National Hydrogen Strategy, coupled with a renewed push to support Australian manufacturing and hydrogen policies.
Australia is a world leader in rooftop solar penetration with over 15 per cent or 2.4 million houses with installations. In addition to metropolitan homes and businesses, LAVO’s hydrogen storage technology can provide regional and rural properties with a secure and reliable energy source for microgrid, the edge of the grid and off-grid solutions.