The people of Off-Grid Energy
December 13, 2023
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Written by Emily McMahon
Whether you have known Off-Grid Energy for years, days, or only minutes; you might not know the story of how we started.
Off-Grid Energy Australia was founded by Hugh Driscoll and Sean LePoidevin – with myself and our head technician Randal making up the founding team.
After years of running the off-grid department for Australia’s largest solar company, Hugh and Sean knew they wanted to help more people gain complete energy self-sufficiency.
So when the solar company closed its off-grid department to focus on the easier grid-connect solar market, Hugh & Sean decided to act – registering Off-Grid Energy Australia on a lunch break. Days later, with no savings or alternative incomes, they quit their jobs to run Off-Grid Energy full time.
The early days for any start up are a challenge. I had to juggle two jobs to keep us all fed, customer consultations were held at the local bakery, and the guys even slept on a solar panel in the back of the work van during a field day to save on accommodation.
Off-Grid Energy was founded with extreme enthusiasm, no sleep, and vegemite toast dinners.
Our office moved quickly from Hugh’s dining room and Randal’s garage, into the Tindo Solar Manufacturing Plant at Technology Park in South Australia.
After a couple of years we grew too big and moved into a larger premises in Dudley Park, which is where our National Head Office and Workshop is located today.
We are incredibly proud to be an award-winning business, gaining a Telstra Australian Business Award win and EY Entrepreneur of the Year award, and we continue to double in size year-on-year.
This year (2016) we have been selected as both a Tesla Authorised Reseller and Certified Installer, were one of the first ZCell Authorised Installers, and have expanded internationally with installations in New Zealand and Vanuatu.
The next phase of change in the energy industry in Australia is right on our doorstep – and battery storage is going to play a vital role in our energy transformation. We are very excited to be playing our part in this transition, and can’t wait to help Australia smash its renewable energy targets and decentralise its energy system.
Have a contingency plan for unexpected power outages of your off-grid power system to ensure any event is less stressful and helps power gets restored quickly.
Over-investment in network infrastructure, that we don’t actually need, is the real reason our electricity bills keep going up.
The manufacturing sector in Australia has taken a bit of a hit in recent times, yet we have a huge opportunity to become a leading manufacturer of quality renewable energy and battery storage systems.
Whether you’re building a new home, buying an existing one, or already living in a solar-powered house – should you consider going off the grid entirely?
Electrical Contractor Licenses: VIC REC-31913, TAS 15608294, WA EC15901, SA PGE278927, NSW 279181C
We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and culture. We would like to specifically acknowledge the Kaurna, Wathaurong, Wonnarua, Wiradjuri and Boonwurrung people. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.