Sungrow, a global provider of PV inverters and energy storage solutions, has partnered with UNSW Sydney and JT Solar Technology, trading as Aussie Hybrid Solar, to launch an AI-enabled community energy project at Gibraltar Bowral in the Southern Highlands. The project demonstrates how solar generation, battery storage, and intelligent energy management can work together to enhance energy resilience, maximise renewable energy utilisation, and reduce reliance on the grid.
A Smarter, Community‑Centric Approach to Energy
For commercial sites such as hotels and event venues, energy demand can fluctuate significantly throughout the day, while rising electricity costs and the need for reliable power make efficient energy management increasingly important.
The community-based virtual power plant (VPP) project addresses these challenges by integrating solar generation, battery storage and intelligent energy management. Rather than simply generating and storing energy, the system determines how and when energy should be used, stored or discharged based on solar availability, site demand, electricity prices, grid requirements and battery health.
At the heart of the system are Sungrow’s ST200CF PowerKeeper battery energy storage system, deployed across four PK stacks, and the SH110CX hybrid inverter, installed by Aussie Hybrid Solar. These assets are coordinated through UNSW’s AI Energy Management System (AI EMS).
“The value of a system like this goes beyond payback. It needs to be safe, reliable and intelligent enough to respond to changing energy needs. That requires close collaboration between engineering and commercial teams.” said Richard Chen, Business Development Manager of Sungrow.
PowerKeeper Enhancing Energy Resilience at The Gibraltar Bowral
As a premium hotel and event venue, The Gibraltar Bowral has diverse and often variable energy needs, making reliable power essential to both guest services and event operations.
Modular DC-coupled architecture. The stackable design enables flexible capacity expansion to accommodate variable site loads. It simplifies retrofits by avoiding complex transformer upgrades and grid approvals, achieving plug-and-play compatibility with existing PV systems and SH110CX hybrid inverters.
Hospitality-optimized deployment. With a compact design, flexible installation options and comprehensive safety certifications, PowerKeeper can fit easily into hospitality sites where space is limited and appearance matters, while meeting all relevant safety and regulatory requirements.
Ultra-reliable performance. Validated through extreme environment tests and equipped with real-time battery health tracking, the system delivers stable long-term operation and full-site backup power to prevent venue downtime.
AI and VPP-ready intelligence. It serves as core hardware for AI energy scheduling and VPP dispatch, enabling autonomous charge-discharge optimization based on solar output, site load, electricity prices and grid conditions to boost renewable self-consumption and energy resilience.
By integrating PowerKeeper into the VPP model, the project demonstrates how advanced storage solutions can serve both commercial reliability needs and broader community energy goals.
“Sungrow has provided strong technical data and support. Their team independently verified our calculations, which gave us greater confidence when sizing the system and demonstrating the potential savings to the client. That level of technical collaboration has been fantastic.” said Steve Doyle, co-owner of JT Solar and Voltval.
By bringing together solar, storage and AI-driven energy management, the project demonstrates a practical pathway towards a more flexible, resilient and renewable-powered future.
With more than 17 years of industry experience, JT Solar Technology brings long-standing expertise in solar installation, engineering, project delivery and after-sales support. Operating under the commercial trading name Aussie Hybrid Solar, the Sydney-based energy company has been helping Australian customers install solar power systems, reduce energy bills and contribute to a cleaner, more sustainable energy future.
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