Revolutionary East Village at Knutsford enhances sustainability credentials powered by AlphaESS

Fremantle's reputation as a showcase for sustainable living has been boosted with the launch of LandCorp's trail-blazing East Village at Knutsford development.

The sustainable housing demonstration project launched by Lands Minister Ben Wyatt this morning is being built on a 1.5 hectare former industrial site on Montreal Street in Fremantle.

The 36 homes to be constructed in the project will be powered by 100 per cent renewable energy using roof top solar panels and a shared community battery, supported where necessary with green energy from the grid.

In an Australian first, a village micro-grid will allow residents to generate and share energy with their neighbors using an innovative energy trading platform.

The development's renewable energy features and solar passive design is expected to cut household energy costs in half.

Mayor Brad Pettitt said Fremantle was delighted to be hosting a project that will become the template for sustainable urban living into the future.

"This project will demonstrate to the housing industry and the community what is possible when it comes to renewable energy, water efficiency and sustainable design.

"Fremantle is already home to WA's first One Planet community - WGV at White Gum Valley - so it's great that LandCorp is continuing to champion innovative approaches to sustainable living." 

The battery, provided by Power Ledger in partnership with WA-based tech company Power Ledger, Curtin University and the federal government's Smart Cities and Suburbs initiative., has been installed and commissioned for use during construction works to supply power and reduce the carbon footprint of the project.

The project is centered on the centralized energy storage of the AlphaESS Storion-T100 (100kW inverter with 670kWh lithium battery), using the electricity generated by the photovoltaic panels attached to 36 homes with residential Storion-SMILE5 to for form a Microgrid. T100 acts as an integrated generator for the entire system to help power to be dispatched between homes. SMILE5 systems provide intelligent monitoring and control for each homes' electricity usage, electricity storage and electricity sales, complete system cluster control, remote scheduling, hence providing cheap and clean electricity directly to residents. The system is connected to the local power grid at the same time as a backup power supply if the battery ever stops working.

 In addition to the renewable energy technology, every home will be equipped for electric vehicle chargers and there will also be a shared fast EV charging station for residents and guests.