The Hunter region is undergoing a major clean energy transformation. A major player in that change is The Melt, a Muswellbrook-based organisation that has been working with innovators, start-ups and manufacturers since 2019.
The Melt is Australia’s first hardware accelerator and industrial prototyping hub, providing facilities, technical expertise and investment support to help businesses develop physical products and bring them to market. Its focus on hardware distinguishes it from software-led accelerators, reflecting the Hunter’s long-standing industrial base.
By supporting local manufacturing and product development, The Melt is helping maintain regional capability while building new pathways for clean energy technologies and advanced manufacturing.
Turning ideas into products
The Melt works closely with start-ups and scale-ups to move ideas from early concepts through prototyping and into production. Its portfolio includes businesses such as Allegro Energy, which develops water-based, fully recyclable, long-duration energy storage batteries, and Refilled, whose smart drink dispensers can deliver more than 100 drink combinations without producing single-use plastic waste.
“Our model is unique,” Brett Thomas, Partner and Chief Operating Officer at The Melt told the Net Zero Economy Authority. “We invest in start-ups and offer them all the support they need to build their physical products in our prototyping hubs and then get their products to market.”
This hands-on approach reflects the organisation’s emphasis on practical outcomes, drawing on the Hunter’s engineering skills and manufacturing experience.
Collaboration recognised nationally
The Melt’s work with Allegro Energy has received national recognition. In 2025, the partnership was awarded Best in Class at the Good Design Awards for the Microemulsion Flow Battery, a long-duration battery design capable of storing energy for up to eight hours.
Allegro Energy also received Innovation Challenger at the AFR Energy Awards and Best Startup at the Australian Manufacturing Awards in the same year. The Melt collaborated with Allegro Energy on product design and scale-up, supporting local supply chain development and manufacturing capability.
These outcomes reflect the role collaboration plays in commercialising new technologies within regional Australia.
Investing in future generations
Alongside commercial innovation, The Melt is investing in education and skills development to support the next generation of workers. With support from BHP and Muswellbrook Shire Council, the organisation delivers STEM programs, workshops and education initiatives aimed at preparing young people for careers in emerging and traditional industries.
One of these initiatives, the INDUSTRY EDGE Maker Projects, provides high school students with opportunities to design and build their own solutions. These workshops are intended to build practical skills while creating a local talent pipeline for a net zero economy.
Student innovator Seth Fitzgerald is one of the participants who has worked with The Melt’s technical specialists to develop a prototype wind turbine, using advanced tools and 3D technologies while learning new design and engineering skills.
Keeping people and skills in the region
The Melt’s work is closely tied to the Hunter’s transition as traditional energy industries change over time. Brett Thomas says the region’s existing workforce remains central to its future.
“Most of Australia’s key and largest energy coal mines and power generators are here. As they diminish over time, we need to find ways to re-employ or re-skill those people to keep them here,” he says.
“The vision for this region is for it to remain the energy heartland of NSW. To do that, we’re creating the next generation of start-ups and scaleups.”
By combining industrial expertise, education and hardware-focused innovation, The Melt is helping shape a future for the Hunter that builds on its strengths while responding to new energy and manufacturing demands.
