David Simonis from Commodore Australia specialises in delivering innovative off-grid solutions to rural and remote locations, writes Gavin Dennett.
Being based in a regional centre, off-grid specialists Commodore Australia know all about the power needs of residents and businesses living and working in rural and remote locations. With its head office in Shepparton, Victoria, the company is experienced at offering power solutions to people located off the grid, both locally and Australia-wide.
The company’s head electrician, David Simonis, has worked for the company for 18 months, leading the team designing solar and batteries for residential and commercial customers. With no two off-grid jobs ever being the same, his role at Commodore Australia is always interesting and offers ongoing learning experiences.
How did you start in your electrical trade?
Out of year 12, I went into an electrical apprenticeship with a company that did a lot with commercial solar. They had a big contract through Origin Energy where they would install 100kW jobs and some bigger ones as well. I worked on a lot of jobs ranging from standard domestic 6.6kW to 20kW, up to 100kW. I did that for four years, which cemented the process of solar for me. I got involved with a little bit of battery work there, but it was mainly grid connect.
What was your next move?
When I finished my apprenticeship, I moved to Commodore Australia, which specialises in off-grid and batteries. I completed my three courses of grid-connect solar, hybrid on-grid batteries and complete off-grid.
What does your role entail?
I’m the head sparky here and it has been a good learning curve getting involved with solar design work and batteries, as well as installs. We design for customers and do a lot of the pre-wiring of systems so sparkies can get them onsite, mount the solar on the roof and get it in. I look over the design, and work closely with the production side of the pre-wired systems in factory, where we have a bunch of electricians and apprentices who build them. I look over the jobs to make sure they are all good to go, and run the tradesmen through how to build the systems.
Is there a growing market for off-grid in Shepparton and the surrounding region?
Yes, there is huge demand with a lot of the newer builds on farms out in the country, where they get a quote for $100,000 from their power company to get grid connected. They can put that money into solar, inverters and batteries and get a really good self-sufficient set up, which often comes in a lot cheaper than grid connect. People love that flexibility. In Shepparton, it’s not so much an issue because the infrastructure is there, however a lot of the remote people we deal with are close by, within half an hour of town.
Tell us about Commodore’s hybrid container off-grid systems.
We work with some large mining companies, and just finished a big job of a 40-foot container with our designed solar panels on the roof. It’s got three layers [of PV] and they can slide on top of each other, expand out and lift to around 30 degrees. It’s all hydraulic and automated with switches and wind sensors so it will pack up itself if wind speeds get too high. These systems go into some pretty harsh environments, and they have three-phase 30kVA worth of inverters and up to 160kWh hours of battery storage, plus a diesel generator for extra backup.
They must be cost-effective power solutions for remote work locations.
For a lot of mines, their only option is to get a diesel generator onsite and run it flat out. But given the current high fuel prices, it’s a no-brainer to look into these solutions. The rooftop solar, inverter and battery are offsetting the use of diesel. If these sites become grid connected, not only is it expensive – millions of dollars – but it’s a more permanent solution. The beauty of the containers we build is they are portable and can be moved from site to site. An absolute game changer for mines.
Is the roof system patented?
Putting batteries in a shipping container is not a new thing, but the Commodore design of the panels on the roof is patented. Maximising roof space of a container is a real issue. You can put on a row of panels but you will only get about 12 panels on a 40-foot container. With our set up, we have gotten up to 12kW of solar onto the roof of the container, plus you can also expand and plug more solar into them.