Renew Magazine

Heat pumps work by moving and concentrating heat rather than making it directly. Because of this they can have a coefficient of performance, or CoP, in the range of between 2 and 4 or even better, which means that for every unit of energy used they collect and concentrate two to four units of energy in the form of heat. The Edson unit, however, lists a CoP of 4.5, making it very efficient indeed.

The Edson system comes with a 315 litre stainless steel storage tank and a 30 tube evacuated tube solar collector. It uses CO2 as the refrigerant, known as R744. Maximum power input is 1kW and noise is rated at 38dB.

RRP: $6950. For more information contact Edson, ph:1300 880 154, www.edson.com.au

The Karra-240 has a small grid-interactive inverter attached to the back of the panel, so no external inverter is needed. The panel is simply connected directly to the mains and it does the rest.

One advantage of such a system is that there is no DC wiring and therefore no high voltage DC cables on the roof. To shut down the panels you simply turn off the mains supply to the roof, and each panel will shut itself down due to the inbuilt anti-islanding required of all grid-interactive inverters.

The inverters used on the Tindo panels are made by Enecsys, who have replaced electrolytic capacitors used in other micro inverters with thin-film capacitors. This not only enables a 20-year warranty, but gives the inverter a 100% capacity rating right up to 85°C.

Other advantages include the ability to expand the system one panel at a time, and you can even monitor and control each panel inverter from a smart phone anywhere in the world.

RRP: POA. For more information contact Tindo Sales and Marketing Pty Ltd, ph:(08) 7200 1460, info@tindosolar.com, www.tindosolar.com.au

The UX90 series is a range of ‘time-of-use’ dataloggers for measuring motor on/off status, electronic pulses, state changes, and occupancy and light use patterns. By implementing one or more of these loggers you could, for instance, determine when lighting is on unnecessarily, thus allowing you to reprogram lighting timers to reduce energy use.

The series of loggers can record a number of different events and parameters, depending on the model. They all feature LCDs for ease of use and instant feedback.

They are available with either 84,000 or 346,000 measurement capacities and fixing options include rare earth magnets, 3M Command™ strips or mounting tabs for reliable mounting.

Software called HOBOware® Pro is available which allows for easy set-up of hundreds of loggers quickly.

RRP: from US$85 in one-off quantities directly from Onset, with discounts for multiples. From $116 plus GST from Australian dealer OneTemp.

For more information and to find your closest dealer, go to www.onsetcomp.com or contact OneTemp on ph: 1300 768 887, sales@onetemp.com.au, www.onetemp.com.au

The range of all-electric quad bikes from Urban ATV eliminates these problems. The bikes range from little 800 watt units more suited to the kids, right through to a 3kW full-sized quad.

The 3kW model has twin brushless 1.5kW motors powered by a 48 volt battery bank, a high tensile steel frame, top speed of 60km/h, range of up to 70km, can climb 40 degree slopes, front hub and rear hydraulic brakes and double spring front and single spring rear suspension. It weighs 285kg and measures 1980 x 1080 x 1160mm.

RRP: $510 for the 800 watt models through to $3200 for the 3kW unit.

For more information and to buy, contact Urban ATV, ph:(07) 5493 0808, urbanatv@iprimus.com.au, www.urbanatv.com.au

The BMS-001 battery monitoring device from Diverse Power Systems continually monitors a 12 volt lead-acid battery and acts as a fuel gauge to estimate the state of charge and remaining discharge time.

It features a large LED backlit LCD which displays volts, charge/discharge current, remaining life and the total number of battery charge/discharge cycles. It has reverse battery connection protection and draws less than 3mA. Voltage accuracy is ±100mV and currents up to ±100 amps can be measured. Operating temperature range is -10°C to 60°C, so it should handle most Australian conditions.

The meter measures 170 x 110 x 20.6mm and weighs 381 grams, so it’s quite large as battery meters go. The meter is also designed and manufactured in Australia, something quite rare for electronics nowadays!

RRP: $375

For more information or to buy, contact Diverse Power Systems, sales@diversepower.com.au, www.diversepower.com.au

The new models have all the usual SP Pro features including AC transfer switch, a ‘grid lockout’ setting to allow for off-peak battery charging, automatic changeover on grid failure, 300% surge capacity, 100% charge capacity, five-stage battery charging with temperature compensation, simple LED display, full computer configuration, field-serviceable modular design, in-built data-logging with adjustable sample rate, silicone-coated PCBs for moisture resistance, four addressable relay outputs and three digital outputs for controlling external energy sources, four addressable digital inputs and two analogue inputs for system monitoring, and the list just goes on.

The SP Pro is Australian designed and manufactured and comes with a five-year warranty (or seven years when installed by an SP PRO accredited installer).

For more information, pricing and your local installer, contact Selectronic Australia, www.selectronic.com.au

One solar hot water system owner decided to invent a simple cure, resulting in the Solar Steam Stopper.

The SSS is a simple valve that bypasses the insulated pipework between the top of the solar collector and the tank. When water gets too hot it redirects the heated water to the tank via an uninsulated pipe, which allows the water to cool somewhat, thus acting as a heat dump.

The Solar Steam Stopper is simple to install and according to the designer requires no maintenance.

RRP: $97 plus $15 delivery anywhere in Australia.

For more info contact Solar Steam Stopper at info@solarsteamstopper.com www.solarsteamstopper.com

The Remote Solar Isolator does exactly that. It is a box full of relays that will not only disconnect the array from the inverter when needed, but it disconnects each solar panel from all the others, reducing the rooftop voltages to a few tens of volts, effectively eliminating the shock hazard. The relays are controlled by a mains-powered 24 or 48 volt DC power supply that can be turned off at the flick of a switch, isolating all of the panels instantly. Further, should there be a loss of mains power, all panels are disconnected. There’s even a thermal fuse that will disconnect the panels should there be a fire in the vicinity of the isolator.

The isolator comes in two models—for up to eight panels, or for up to 16 panels.

RRP: $891 for the eight panel unit, $1199 for the 16 panel model.

For more information or to purchase, contact Jaypt P/L, www.remotesolarisolator.com.au

OAT Shoes makes a range of shoes that are entirely compostable. They are made from a combination of natural materials such as hemp, bio-cotton and cork, together with certified biodegradable plastics. However, there is one big catch. The shoes include an embedded sheet of seed paper which will flower when the shoes are buried, so they can’t be shipped to Australia yet. However, OAT Shoes is looking to distribute further, so contact them and tell them we want unseeded versions!

For more information contact OAT Shoes, Damrak 70 (Studio 2.53), 1012 LM Amsterdam, info@oatshoes.com, www.oatshoes.com

The fitting is designed to run at just 60°C, eliminating fire risks associated with halogens, while easing the load on air conditioning systems.

The Genesis 16 is available in 3000K or 5000K colour temperature and a CRI (colour rendering index) greater than 80 (100 is the best possible). Beam angle of the fitting is 40 degrees, making it an ideal replacement for the common 38 degree halogen lamps.

The fitting is available in either white or silver finish, and 70 or 90mm cut-out versions. Warranty is a huge five years and rated lifespan is 50,000 hours, so you may never need to replace the fitting.

The Genesis 16 is fully Australian electrical safety standards approved. There is also a budget 9 watt version available with similar features which is only available in 200+ quantities for volume buyers.

RRP: $99

For more information contact Thinkwise Lighting, 3 Scholar Drive, Bundoora VIC 3083,ph:(03) 8771 9012, sales@thinkwise.com.au, www.thinkwise.com.au