For the first time since the pandemic, All-Energy Australia, a national and international clean energy industry event, opened its doors. Sean Carroll found out what was in it for electricians.

With three hundred exhibitors packed into several halls of the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre, the All-Energy Australia event was back and back in a big way.

The industry was able to reconvene after years apart due to the pandemic and it gave visitors a chance to get a hands-on look at solutions from leading cleantech companies.

Starting with an opening presentation from the Victorian minister for the environment & climate action, energy and solar homes, Lily D’Ambrosio, the event saw over 200 speakers take to various theatres and rooms, sharing information about the industry.

Collaboration was also front and centre in most of the panel sessions as well as speakers calling out the boldest and brightest across the industry to help track the transition to net zero.

There were several speakers and exhibitors targeted towards the electrician and solar installer, recognising that while it’s great to work in the cleantech space, there’s a need for skilled tradespeople to help get the solutions working. Michael Chan from Tas Networks said at his plenary panel that it’s a “race for skills” with people and workers seen as the most important resource.

K2, innovative solar mounting solutions, launches in Australia

K2 Systems, a manufacturer of mounting systems for solar technology, has been servicing the European, African and American markets since 2004 and All-Energy Australia marks the company’s first day in Australia.

“K2 Systems is a specialist rooftop mounting structure manufacturer which has been operating out of Germany since 2004,” K2 managing director David McCallum said.

“We’re launching here today, and we have several solar mounting solutions on offer. What makes K2’s solutions unique is that they remove 90% of the aluminium off your roof, making life easier for installers. Instead of moving products around the country in a couple of boxes, the K2 solution can fit into a very compact space.”

K2 have mounting solutions for flat roof, pitched roof systems and all different kinds of material from membrane, concrete, bitumen and more.

“We also have products landing in early 2023 that are ideal for corrugated sheet metal which you see a lot of across Australia,” David said.

“This solution has actually been registered with Australian IP with a patent pending on it which is great news.”

What impact will the NCC 2022 have on solar installers?

On day two, the Australian Building Codes Board senior policy officer – energy efficiency, Michael Dodd, spoke during a Solar Masterclass, explaining what the new National Construction Code 2022 (NCC 2022) means for solar installers and designers.

He stated, before delving into the session, that the changes are written for the entire country, not just specific parts and that the NCC represents the minimum standards for health, safety, amenity and sustainability.

The policy drivers around solar are based on reaching the federal net zero targets and reducing emissions wherever possible.

“It’s also about ensuring infrastructure can be installed in the future when these emerging technologies are more prevalent,” Michael explained.

Michael also noted that the NCC is only focused on AC charging for electric vehicles (EVs).

“The first major requirement for the NCC is that 20% of a certain commercial building’s car parks need to be made for EVs or be EV charger-ready if it were to happen in the future. It doesn’t need to be ready today, but it needs to be doable in the future without any additional work on top of installing the chargers.”

Moving up from car parks, there’s also a requirement that 20% of the roof space needs to be dedicated to solar space on the commercial side.

“There are exemptions, but the 20% is a baseline that all new commercial buildings need to have.”

On the residential side of things, this is the first NCC that factors in in-house appliance energy. The NCC 2022 has a budget that lets users calculate their energy use and ensure that no more than 70% of their total energy cost is consumed by appliances.

While this might seem like a lot initially, the 70% figure can be reduced since energy created from renewable sources (like solar) doesn’t count towards the household budget.

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, no it’s a disguised solar panel

Alpha Solar Tech, an Australian-owned company, was showing off its range of solar solutions at All-Energy Australia. The company aims to disguise solar panels through colours, patterns and clever design.

The coloured range of solar panels have no limitations to where they can be installed, are manufactured to Australian Standards and the colouration only limits a small percentage of its effectiveness.

The most exciting development, in my opinion, is their solar glass panels. Instead of trying to paint over the solar panels, the glass panels can be installed where glass would usually sit. Either as a window or a glass screen, the 40% transparent solution can blend perfectly into a house with nobody knowing it’s actually a solar panel.

Alpha Solar Tech’s semi-transparent frameless solar balustrades (pictured) look like typical glass balustrades seen in Australian backyards but they’re collecting solar power. The metal feed perfectly disguises the cabling, meaning it can sit perfectly flush in an outdoor setting with no hint that it’s a panel.

Disclaimer: This article was written in November 2022 for the following edition of Electrical Connection. All-Energy Australia took place in October 2022.