The home, a new one in Bardlomey, a property in the Maranoa region of Queensland, about 40km east of Roma, uses a six-battery 50kWh system. The premises is located about 2.7km from mains power.

Had the owners of the home, Scott and Breeann Bates, used mains power, they would have had to pay tens of thousands to collect power to the house.

The energy storage system comprises six Redflow ZCell zinc-bromine flow batteries, two Victron Quattro 48/10000 inverter/chargers and 72 Tindo 260-watt solar panels, with an 18.72 kilowatt peak (kWp) capacity, installed on a nearby shed.

"Given this situation, a solar system incorporating Redflow batteries was an attractive option for us to store reliable power and eliminate power bills. ZCells are designed in Australia and can tolerate hot conditions.”

The decision to live off-grid was taken in advance so the 400-square metre single-storey four-bedroom home was buuilt with insulation in the floor, walls and ceiling.

ZCell batteries are produced by Redflow Limited, an ASX-listed company that has developed the world’s smallest zinc-bromine flow battery. The system was installed by Off-Grid Energy Australia.