The world’s largest home storage battery company will be assembling its home storage batteries in South Australia, with an Adelaide Sonnen factory opening within nine months.
Germany battery manufacturer sonnen will employ 130 people in “jobs of the future”, South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill said Thursday. An extra 300 jobs would be created among trades people installing the solar storage systems.
Mr Weatherill said the factory was a coup and was “leading to the jobs of the future”.
Chris Parratt, Managing Director of Sonnen Australia, says the company will manufacture 10,000 systems a year. The former Holden and Mitsubishi plants are possible locations for the Adelaide Sonnen factory.
Mr Parratt said it would be able to quickly get up to full speed. “We believe in about six to nine months we’ll be producing our first energy storage system,” he said in a joint announcement with Premier Weatherill.
South Australia – the solar power state
The news comes in a week of solar announcements in the state. Earlier this week the government pledged to increase their 2030 renewable energy goal from 25 to 75 per cent.
A day later, the Premier announced a $100 million fund for no-interest loans to households to install solar panels or home storage batteries. The move is likely to prompt increased interest in households seeking quotes for solar installation if Labor is re-elected in the March state election.
sonnenFlat – household electricity for just $30 a month
Last year, Sonnen made headlines when it introduced its sonnenFlat scheme to Australia.
Sonnen offers Australian households a flat power rate of $30 per month in a deal to increase its foothold in the local energy storage market. The offer is open to sonnenBatterie users. In return, Sonnen has access to streaming power from batteries to the grid where needed.
The South Australian developments prompted the Clean Energy Council to describe the state as an international leader in renewable energy.
Adelaide Sonnen HQ will replace current Sydney digs
In a move that seems to confirm the verdict, Sonnen will also shift its Australian headquarters from Sydney to Adelaide.
