A 100% Australian-owned supermarket franchise, operating across metropolitan, regional and remote communities in all states and territories, partners with HighFlow Energy to enhance energy resilience, reduce costs and meet sustainability goals. Leveraging a no-CAPEX Energy-as-a-Service (EaaS) model, the chain is deploying sodium-ion battery storage and integrated smart solar charging across selected high-load sites.
Key Metrics
- Annual Site Consumption: ~795,000 kWh
- System Size: 2,000 kWh (2 MWh) SodiumSafe battery per site
- Solar: Existing or new 30–100 kW systems leveraged where viable
- Energy Savings: Up to $125,000 per store, per year
- CO₂ Reduction: ~110 tonnes per store annually
- Contract Model: 15-year EaaS, with no upfront capital cost
The Challenge
With stores located in a diverse range of communities – including small remote towns where grid stability is poor – the franchise faced challenges including:
- Rising and volatile electricity prices
- Network peak charges from evening operations
- Limited access to capital for sustainability upgrades
- Inconsistent access to solar generation at some locations
- Growing ESG and decarbonisation expectations from stakeholders
The Solution
Highflow Energy deployed its Highflow Flex model to suitable franchise sites. Key features included:
- SodiumSafe Battery Storage (2 MWh): Non-flammable, long-life batteries installed to provide backup power, load shifting, and peak shaving
- Solar Integration: Existing rooftop solar leveraged or upgraded, and new systems installed where viable
- Smart Charging: AI-optimised charging from low-cost solar and off-peak grid power
- EaaS Delivery Model:
- No upfront cost
- Fixed monthly fee at 85% of current power bills
- Fully managed maintenance, compliance and performance monitoring
- Virtual Power Plant Participation:
- Batteries participate in grid trading
- Unused storage at some sites offsets grid demand at others (e.g. regional admin hubs)
The Outcome
- Cost Savings:
- 15% guaranteed savings on energy bills
- Fixed costs protect stores from price volatility for 15 years
- Resilience:
- Backup storage allows stores to remain operational during outages
- Improved service continuity for remote community stores
- Sustainability:
- 110 tonnes of CO₂ emissions avoided per store annually
- Equivalent to taking 25 cars off the road or planting ~4,000 trees
- Scalability:
- Model replicated across dozens of locations
- Centralised energy visibility and aggregated benefits via the HighFlow VPP
Why It Matters
This solution empowers a proudly Australian supermarket franchise to:
- Take climate action through measurable carbon reduction
- Strengthen its role in community resilience, especially in regional and remote Australia
- Avoid upfront capital while future-proofing its energy infrastructure
- Showcase leadership in ESG performance and clean energy adoption
- Support the growth of Australia’s sovereign energy sector with locally engineered battery solutions
Through Highflow Flex, this national retailer has demonstrated that sustainability, resilience and commercial returns are not mutually exclusive – especially when backed by smart storage, intelligent design and a partner aligned with long-term community and business goals.