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SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC ENFORCES
PATENTRIGHTSAGAINST CLIPSO
Schneider Electric has successfully
enforced its registered patent
rights against Clipso Electrical.
The Federal Court has made
Orders in Schneider Electric’s
favour, to declare that Clipso
Electrical’s CLIPSMART USB
charger infringed Schneider
Electric’s innovation patents.
Importation and sale of
CLIPSMART USB products will
cease, with all stock currently in
the marketplace required to be
delivered to Schneider Electric.
Clipsal and Schneider Electric
Partner Business vice president
David Gardner says: “This
announcement from the Federal
Court is a great step for Schneider
Electric to protect the hard
work we do in designing and
developing reliable and innovative
products for our customers.
We value our intellectual
property highly and are proud
of the reputation associated
with the Clipsal by Schneider
Electric brand.”
Clipso Electrical distributes a
wide range of electrical products
under the CLIPSO trademark in the
Australian market.
Schneider Electric is continuing
to pursue Clipso Electrical in legal
proceedings for use of the CLIPSO
name, infringement of Clipsal’s
DOLLY SWITCH trademark,
infringement of Schneider
Electric’s registered design
rights, contraventions of the
Australian Consumer Law and
passing off.
The case is scheduled to be
heard in May 2016.
In December, a number of companies
announced partnerships (several of
which were ‘exclusive’) with electric
vehicle maker Tesla, to import and sell
the company’s Powerwall home battery.
One of the companies, Origin Energy,
says installation of the Powerwall
system will commence in February 2016.
Origin chief executive of energy
markets Frank Calabria says, “By
offering rooftop solar with home
batteries, Origin is able to provide
households with greater control over
their energy use than ever before.
“Customers can now also make their
investment in solar work harder, as excess
electricity produced during the day can
be stored for use at a later time when the
solar panels do not produce electricity.”
Origin is bundling the Tesla Powerwall
with Trina solar panels and the Solar
Edge inverter as part of a home energy
solution.
“Home batteries will not be for
everyone at this early stage, but with
more than 80% of solar owners in a
recent survey indicating they would
consider buying a home battery, Origin
is ideally placed to help consumers find
the right solution for them with its end
to end offering,” Frank says.
Energy retailer Simply Energy has
also announced that it will begin to offer
the Tesla Powerwall.
Part of the global ENGIE group, Simply
Energy also expects to install the first
Powerwall units in early 2016.
Simply Energy chief executive Carly
Wishart says Tesla’s home battery
storage had attracted enormous
interest.
“Coupled with our solar PV offering,
we see home battery storage playing
a major role in the transition to a low
carbon economy,” Carly says.
The Tesla Powerwall is attractively
designed and is a conveniently-sized
home battery capable of charging from
a range of energy sources including solar
panels or from the grid, when utility
rates are low. Automated, compact
and simple to install, Powerwall
enables customers to maximise self-
consumption of solar power generation.
CSR Bradford – a company perhaps
best known for insulation – will also
supply and install the Tesla Powerwall
battery throughout Australia and New
Zealand early in 2016 as part of a fully
integrated and automated system,
including PV panels and inverter.
Executive general manager
Anthony Tannous says: “Just as Tesla
has revolutionised electric vehicles,
Tesla Energy’s Powerwall will deliver
consumers personal control and
management of energy consumption.
Savings in electricity are now easily
achievable.”
The Tesla Powerwall home battery
unit is fully automated and simple to
install, with no maintenance required.
At 1.3m x 0.86m and a depth of only
18cm it features a sleek design to
make it architecturally appealing. The
Powerwall batteries can be installed
indoors or outdoors and are controlled
via a web and mobile app interfaced
with the specialised inverter.
The Daily 7kWh Powerwall will cover
most of an Australian family’s power
requirements during the evening,
using energy stored from solar panels
during the day. The Tesla Powerwall
can provide an emergency backup in
the case of a grid outage and multiple
batteries can be scaled together to meet
higher energy requirements if needed.
Widely praised as the future of
sustainable living, home battery storage
is considered the tipping point in making
solar energy a practical and affordable
solution for everyday Australians.
CSR Bradford’s integrated power
storage solutions will be available
directly through its Bradford Energy
Solutions, or through any one of its
many Approved Installers.
TESLAPOWERWALLNOWAVAILABLE INAUSTRALIA