Hunter energy storage company Allegro Energy has secured Australian Made certification for its microemulsion flow battery as it works towards increasing production of the technology in Australia.
The company announced this month that its battery had been certified to carry the Australian Made logo, marking another stage in the commercialisation of technology developed by a company founded in the Hunter.
Allegro operates a pilot manufacturing facility at Thornton and is developing long-duration energy storage systems using its proprietary water-based microemulsion electrolyte.
Allegro said the certification came as the company moved from commercial pilots towards scaled production, with a focus on building manufacturing capability in Australia.
Chief executive and co-founder Professor Thomas Nann said: “Allegro was founded in the Hunter. We are determined to demonstrate that Australia can manufacture the next generation of energy storage technology here too.”
Technology tested at Eraring
Allegro’s microemulsion flow battery uses a water-based electrolyte made from water, oil and a surfactant.
The company says its chemistry is non-flammable and does not rely on lithium, vanadium or cobalt.
Unlike conventional batteries where power and energy capacity are closely linked, flow batteries store electrolyte externally in tanks. Allegro says this allows storage duration to be increased by adding electrolyte and tank capacity.
The technology is already being demonstrated in the Hunter through Allegro’s partnership with Origin Energy at Eraring Power Station.
A 100 kW/800 kWh Allegro system is operating at Eraring, providing eight hours of energy storage. Allegro says the system was manufactured at its Thornton facility.
Origin is also an investor and commercial partner in Allegro, having made a $4 million equity investment in the company.
The Eraring installation is intended to demonstrate the technology in a commercial energy environment and provide information for potential larger deployments. Allegro has also said Origin Zero is working with commercial and industrial customers to identify another potential demonstration site.
Manufacturing becomes part of the transition
Allegro says it is now moving from commercial pilots towards scaled production, bringing the question of where emerging energy technologies are manufactured into its next phase of development.
The company’s manufacturing model draws on industrial capabilities already available in Australia, including switchboard manufacturing, steel fabrication and HDPE pipe fabrication.
That provides a connection between development of new energy technology and the Hunter’s established industrial and manufacturing supply chain.
Allegro has also received $1.85 million through the Australian Government’s Industry Growth Program and raised $17.5 million in a Series A funding round led by the Grantham Foundation.
The company is targeting long-duration applications where electricity needs to be stored for eight hours or longer, including renewable energy projects, electricity networks and commercial and industrial sites.
Allegro technology heads to Maitland roadshow
Nann will discuss Allegro and its technology as a featured speaker at the Hunter Innovation Festival’s Maitland Roadshow on 30 September.
Presented by Hunter Innovation Festival and Maitland City Council, the Rutherford event will focus on industrial technology and the energy transition, bringing together businesses, investors and organisations involved in the Hunter innovation ecosystem.
Nann co-founded Allegro in 2021 to commercialise its microemulsion electrolyte technology. Before establishing the company, he was Head of School at the University of Newcastle and previously held the Alan MacDiarmid Professorship of Chemistry at Victoria University of Wellington.
His appearance provides a local example of the roadshow’s focus on the relationship between technology development, advanced manufacturing and the Hunter’s changing energy economy.
The Maitland event will be held from 12 pm to 2 pm on Wednesday 30 September at The Bradford Hotel, Rutherford.
It forms part of the Hunter Innovation Festival regional roadshow, which will also visit Cessnock on 22 September and Muswellbrook on 7 October before the Hunter Innovation Festival at NEX in Newcastle on 13 October.
