The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has today announced $497,000 in funding for Epho, provider of turnkey solar energy solutions, to develop a solution to dynamically distribute the energy output of a solar PV system between a building tenant and the network at wholesale electricity prices.

Epho will develop a 1.7MW rooftop industrial solar PV system to demonstrate its Bright Thinkers Power Station concept. The concept is different as it has the ability to direct solar energy either partially or fully to the consumer on site or directly trade energy on the national electricity market.

“Epho developed the Bright Thinkers Power Station concept to allow large rooftop solar systems to be connected both behind-the-meter as well as an independent, market registered power station,” Epho managing director Oliver Hartley says.

“Epho’s innovation allows the entire roof area to be utilised, turning the roof into an urban power station.”

Goodman Group, contract logistics solutions and global property company, has partnered with Epho to deliver the project at Oakdale Industrial Estate, NSW.

Epho has also collaborated with its technology partner, Siemens in order to meet the requirements of property companies and larger corporate tenants.

“The project will unlock further investment and installation of solar PV on the entire usable roof space of commercial and industrial buildings. This compares to the present practice where current rooftop solar PV systems are constrained in size to align with tenant demand,” ARENA chief executive Darren Miller says.

“ARENA supports the companies and institutions that are building our future energy system and this unique take on rooftop solar will help ensure that we are furthering our priority in integrating renewable electricity into the grid.”