Innovative energy storage in the Hunter
Allegro Energy, located in NSW’s Hunter Valley, has developed Australia’s first locally manufactured microemulsion flow battery, a water-based energy storage system.
Over ten years ago, Allegro Energy CEO, Professor Thomas Nann, recognised that energy storage was not only going to be in demand, but was also reliant on rare minerals. It was also highly flammable, making storage potentially dangerous.
Professor Nann and his team developed the water-based electrolyte storage system, which is not only a safer, non-flammable technology, but is cheaper to manufacture, eliminating the need for rare minerals.
In February 2025, Allegro Energy was awarded $1.85 million via the Australian Government’s Industry Growth Program. The funding would be used to scale their long-duration storage batteries to mass production. The Allegro Energy batteries offer storage of any duration up to a few days.
Business innovation, and support from Government and the private sector, are key to diversifying economies in regions like the Hunter, one of the Net Zero Economy Authority’s current priority regions.
The new jobs and economic activity that local businesses such as Allegro Energy creates are critical to a successful transition in the Hunter. They also showcase Australia’s innovation on a global scale.
The Industry Growth Program is designed to scale up early-stage businesses so they can apply for National Reconstruction Fund (NRF) co-investment in the future. The NRF is a $15 billion investment fund aimed at diversifying and transforming key industries, including renewables and low emissions technologies.
It’s expected the long-duration energy storage (LDES) market will be worth $1 trillion to $3 trillion globally by 2040.
In April this year, Allegro showcased the new technology via an open day at their headquarters in the Hunter. The technology will soon debut at Origin Energy’s Eraring Power Station, a black coal-fired power station, south of Newcastle. Origin acquired 5% of Allegro Energy in 2023.