New South Wales (NSW) electricity distribution company Endeavour Energy has officially launched a 79 kWh community battery energy storage system at Shellharbour that will support up to 20 customers who will have access to an initial storage capacity limit set at 4 kWh per day.
Endeavour said the Shell Cove community battery, in the southern suburbs of Shellharbour about two hours south of Sydney, provides a shared energy storage system allowing a group of neighbours to store and share excess solar power.
Colin Crisafulli, general manager of Endeavour’s future grid and asset management department, said the new community battery, which is already is already nearly fully subscribed, marks a new era of energy consumption for customers.
Nearby residents can now store excess solar energy generated by their rooftop systems during the day, optimising its use during evening peaks. Those without solar setups can also benefit by accessing the battery for a small fee.
“The Shell Cove community battery will help customers save on household electricity costs and reduce their household carbon footprint,” he said. “Community batteries will also help to lower costs for customers across our entire region by improving the efficiency of the network.”
Image: Endeavour Energy
Origin Energy will provide the platform for customers to access the battery and will orchestrate the energy stored, including charging during the day and dispatching to the wholesale market, while working with Endeavour to support electricity demand management.
Origin future energy and technology Executive General Manager Tony Lucas said the battery is one of a number of community battery initiatives the gen-tailer is engaged in and believes they can play a big part in the energy transition.
“Community batteries allow people to share in the benefits of battery storage, whether they have solar panels or not, without the upfront costs attached to purchasing a battery for their home,” he said.
“We look forward to people accessing this trial and reaping the benefits that come with harnessing renewable energy,”
Image: Endeavour Energy
Endeavour, which supplies power to more than 2.6 million people living in NSW, said the Shell Cove energy storage system is part of a larger initiative with plans to roll out 54 community batteries across its network during the next 18 months, with a further 32 proposed.
The Shell Cove battery is the second of the community batteries to be installed with the first having already gone live at Blacktown in western Sydney. Another eight are being delivered in the Campbelltown, Kiama, Liverpool, Shoalhaven, Wingecarribee and Wollondilly areas as part of the initial deployment phase.
The community batteries are being rolled out across the Endeavour network, which services the western Sydney, Blue Mountains, Southern Highlands, Illawarra region and the South Coast, over the next 18 months as part of the Commonwealth Batteries for Household Solar program.
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