“Certification to the Australian standard is a significant accomplishment for our organization as the Australian certification comes on the heels of certifications for California and the United Kingdom,” stated Darren Jamison, President and Chief Executive Officer of Capstone. “These multiple certifications demonstrate the strength of our inverter-based technology to meet the growing needs of our global customer base, and for the network operators. Capstone is well-positioned to provide the resiliency necessary, especially in regions like California, to power through planned and unplanned utility outages,” added Jamison.
“We are delighted to receive certification of the Capstone C200/C1000 family of generators to AS 4777. This allows us to provide our customers with compliance to the latest connection standards required in every Australian State and Territory,” said Les Blackwell, Engineering Director of Optimal Group Australia, Capstone’s exclusive distributor for Australia, New Zealand, and Tasmania. “As more and more customers seek behind the meter solutions to reduce spiraling energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions, Capstone microturbines will be able to be deployed with a simple approval process. As grids become more complex and stressed, there are fewer options available for self-reliant generation; however, with this certification, it’s now simpler than ever to enjoy the benefits of behind the meter on-site generation. In addition, our customers will also be able to receive additional income for demand and frequency response at times of high network demand,” added Mr. Blackwell.
Optimal has recently installed a number of megawatt-scale Capstone energy systems to remote customers in Australia and the Pacific. These systems have resulted in substantial reductions in energy costs for these clients and have provided the opportunity for additional energy sources, including energy storage and solar photovoltaic (PV). As grids globally shift towards a distributed energy model, standards such as AS 4777 will benefit all stakeholders as it facilitates the connection of more grid-connected solutions which can export power, thereby minimizing the investment required for network upgrades.
“I am very proud of our engineering team and certification partners”, declared Don Ayers, Director of Engineering at Capstone. “Not only was there the tight timeline to be maintained throughout the project, but also additional scope was discovered during the definition of the work to be accomplished. The flexibility and agility of the team was outstanding,” concluded Mr. Ayers.
Certification efforts will continue for Capstone’s C65, and for updated releases of the German and Italian standards, who led the grid interconnect requirement efforts.
