"South Street Energy has fundamentally changed the National Electricity Market by enabling the owners of small-scale renewable generation systems to directly participate in the wholesale market for the first time," said Managing Director Marco Bogaers.
Mr Bogaers says the South Street Energy solution ensures that renewable energy is sold into the market that is paying the highest price, increasing the value of renewable electricity.
'We are providing a 'real world solution' to the 'real world problem' of the lack of incentives for businesses to install renewable energy systems.
DSI Holdings is a Victorian engineering company that designs and tests automotive transmissions – spokesperson Phillip Brown says:
"We have a 100KiloWatt solar energy system that powers our 'powertrain dynamometer' transmission testing system. Before we signed up with South Street Energy, any excess energy we generated just went into the grid and we got very little for it. In the last year, South Street Energy has enabled us to earn $7000 – and all we had to do was install a meter."
"By helping businesses with small-scale renewable energy systems earn income from the energy their systems generate, we're also helping drive greater uptake of renewable energy in the business and manufacturing sectors," said Marco Bogaers.
"This has given us an incentive to expand our solar generation system, and I can see it encouraging many more businesses to incorporate renewable energy generation because they can get a financial reward as well as reducing their emissions," said Phillip Brown.
Another company to benefit is Sealane Food Services, a family business that distributes frozen and chilled foods and operates from a purpose-built facility in Heidelberg, Victoria with a 300 kW rooftop solar generation system.
In the first 9 months of this year Sealane's solar system generated 256,000 kWh. South Street Energy sold 35% of Sealane's renewable electricity to the wholesale electricity market for $18,400 and Sealane's electricity bills reduced by $12,000.
South Street Energy increased the value of Sealane's renewable electricity from $19,200 to $30,400 – or from 7.5 cents to 11.9 cents per kWh.
Marco Bogaers says: "Being part of our Distributed Energy Generation Network has helped our customers weather the recent negative impacts of high electricity prices, and it fits directly into the Australian Government's Powering Australia Plan to lift the share of renewables in the National Electricity Market to 82% by 2030," he says.
"This benefits everyone. It helps the owners of individual systems by providing a new and additional form of revenue, it helps the community by providing further financial incentives for the take up of renewables and it helps the National Electricity Market (NEM) by providing a demonstrable mechanism for participation by small scale, renewable generators," said Mr Bogaers.
The iAwards are presented by the Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA), Australia's peak industry representative body for innovative technology, and recognise Australian innovations and achievements that create positive change for the community. It is Australia's longest running and most broadly scoped innovation recognition program, promoting excellence in the Australian digital ecosystem from the likes of Google Maps, Atlassian, Wotif and WiseTech Global.The awards unearth, recognise and reward excellence in Australian innovation.
Key Facts:
South Street Energy gains Merit Certificate in National iAwards in the Sustainability and Environmental Solution for the Year category
Its pioneering Distributed Generation Network enables owners of small-scale renewable energy generation systems to directly participate in the wholesale electricity market and increase the value of the renewable energy they generate.
About us:
About South Street Energy Formed in 2017, South Street Energy is a registered market generator that sells electricity directly to the wholesale market on behalf of the owners of small-scale solar, wind and biogas generators. These generation systems, too small alone for market registration, are included in South Street Energy's Distributed Generation Network - a national and fast-growing network of small-scale, renewable generators.
About iAwards
For over 27 years, the Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA) has been driving an innovation nation through their iAwards program. The iAwards unearths, recognises and rewards excellence in Australian innovation that is making a difference and has the potential to create positive change for the community – whether this is at home, in the office or on a global scale. iAwards submissions are accepted from innovators across the whole Australian economy –individuals, groups, government and private organisations, or students.
