9. Solar PV and Batteries towards Net Zero

Find out more about Episode 9 on the Blend ESQ Website, with some useful links.

The work of a UOW-graduated Electrical Engineer, Nessar Khan, Co-Founder and CEO of Kratos Energy has been instrumental in the electrification of over 8 million homes in rural areas of Bangladesh, providing off-grid and low-cost electricity via solar and battery and addressing the harmful health effects of burning kerosene indoors.

Nessar shines a light forward for Australian rooftop solar and batteries having seen firsthand the large-scale clean energy benefits when policy and investment of the Government of Bangladesh and the World Bank aligned.

He identifies the barriers Australia still has in place to enable the connection of solar farms to the grid in rural areas, and why we need to rapidly address this to meet our net zero goals.

We discuss the continued importance of energy-efficient appliances as a tool in our clean energy toolkit and answer some of the common questions asked by first-time consumers of solar panels, inverters, and batteries.

Want more info?

• A powerful read: ‘Living in the Light‘ the Bangladesh Solar Homes Story, published by the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (The World Bank), 2021.
• Learn more: Energy Management for Business  or Households, energy.gov.au
• Nessar Khan, LinkedIn
• Kratos Energy Pty Ltd is a renewable energy engineering and consulting services provider. Delivering solar PV and battery storage at every phase of a project, from the early stages of site selection, feasibility, and design through to project management of the construction phase, operation, and maintenance.
• Surge in Solar-Powered Homes – Experience in Off-Grid Rural Bangladesh, International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank, 2021.
• Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Development Project (RERED), The World Bank
• Renew – Leading in Sustainability.
• Green Building Council Australia.
• About NatHERS, National House Energy Rating Scheme.

Check out the Wollongong locals engineering our future, Platinum Season 2 Sponsors SOTO Engineers.

Photo Credits: Nessar Khan and ocean image by Venture and Gain Agency.
Podcast Production: Relativity.