Sydney-based start-up Evergen, who has just launched their intelligent home energy management system in Australia, has raised $3.7 million in funding from AMP Capital and CSIRO, as it takes their Australian first smart energy offering to the market.
Combining solar and batteries with smart technology, the Evergen system continuously analyses and optimises home energy costs, choosing the most efficient source between solar, battery and the grid. The energy management technology was developed by CSIRO in 2010, however solar and battery technology was not at a high enough standard to launch. Evergen has been granted exclusive rights for the energy management technology from CSIRO, and the company expects their customers to save up to 60–80% when making the switch, now the solar and battery technology has caught up.
The full Evergen system includes solar panels, integrated battery storage, inverter and energy management system fully controlled by Evergen through internet and grid connections. Government rebates are available for the installation of the systems, and adding the Evergen battery storage and intelligent control to your existing solar panels is possible, however some components of your solar panels may need to be upgraded or replaced for optimum performance with the system.
“We’re an energy services company that tries to reduce our customers’ and clients’ electricity bills,” Evergen CEO and Energy Scientist Dr. Glenn Platt says. “That’s our number one focus – to reduce complexity in their lives and make things simpler and easier for them”.
Although Australia’s energy usage is still primarily from coal (73%) leaving us deep in the dark on global standards, renewables are slowly gaining organic momentum through intelligent technologies like the Evergen system, which is remotely managed by Evergen and regularly analysed and updated by CSIRO.
“Distributed energy technologies such as rooftop solar (currently only 2% of Australian energy generation) are the biggest growth areas in the market globally, and upcoming new technologies will completely change a market that has operated the same way for decades. We are already working on a range of product innovations, which will add new options to the Evergen smart system during the next five years,” Dr. Platt said, who previously led the energy program at CSIRO with Australia’s leading scientists.
A recent agreement between the Australian Government and the federal opposition on the Renewable Energy Target (RET) will provide a much needed boost for the solar and wind industries in the coming years, and preserves the overall target of generating around 25 percent of total electricity generation in 2020. What this means for Australians, is that as the economy continues to grow, the energy industry will remain competitive and protect our economy and jobs, while reducing our emissions at a growing rate.
Introducing new technologies to the energy market ensures that the market stays competitive and affordable for consumers. The Evergen systems are suited to freestanding properties and can be installed anywhere in Australia; with a limited number of systems featuring the beta version of Evergen’s energy management software now available to Australians as part of an early release program, with the second-stage release program to be rolled out in January 2017.
For more information, visit evergen.com.au
