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A new “smart” inverter to help accelerate the transition to renewables – developed by Tapestry and CSIRO and supported by the Digital Future Initiative

Dr. Leo Casey, Tapestry’s Chief Scientist in the moonshot factory’s labs in Mountain View California

Dr. Leo Casey, Tapestry’s Chief Scientist, leaning over a desk with inverter hardware on it in the moonshot factory’s labs in Mountain View California

Tapestry’s Dr. Leo Casey and CSIRO Lead Scientist, Dr. Julio Braslavsky, at CSIRO’s labs in Newcastle, Australia

Tapestry’s Dr. Leo Casey and CSIRO Lead Scientist, Dr. Julio Braslavsky, walking beside solar panels at CSIRO’s labs in Newcastle, Australia

Grid-following inverters can only "see" what's in front of them and can’t communicate with each other or with other devices across the grid. This can be a problem when too much energy comes from renewable sources.

An illustration of how an inverter works. Grid-following inverters can only "see" what's in front of them and can’t communicate with each other or with other devices across the grid. This can be a problem when too much energy comes from renewable sources.

Grid-Forming Inverters can communicate with other devices like solar panels, and batteries, determine the state of these other devices, and work together to keep the grid stable.

An illustration of how an inverter works. Grid-Forming Inverters can communicate with other devices like solar panels, and batteries, determine the state of these other devices, and work together to keep the grid stable.

A prototype of Tapestry’s advanced inverter in the CSIRO lab. It’s roughly the size of a laptop computer.

A photograph of a prototype of Tapestry’s advanced inverter hardware device in the CSIRO lab. It’s roughly the size of a laptop computer.

Dr. Leo Casey standing in front of a traditional inverter in Tapestry’s labs in Mountain View.

A photograph of Dr. Leo Casey smiling and standing in front of a traditional inverter in Tapestry’s labs in Mountain View.