With more than 300 large-scale solar and battery storage projects in the pipeline, Australia has been identified as a global leader in hybrid solar and battery systems in a new whitepaper released by global energy company Hitachi Energy.
The Accelerating utility-scale solar through hybrid systems paper looks at the drivers fueling the boom in solar power and other renewables, the challenges for the future power system, and the solutions available to connect renewable sources to the grid and manage more modular and distributed networks.
Hitachi Australia Managing Director Bernard Norton said critical advancements in hybrid systems are part of a larger grid transformation for a sustainable energy future.
“Integrating solar with battery energy storage solutions is a significant leap forward, driving us toward utility-scale solar power and facilitating the broader energy transition toward net zero,” he said.
“Due to our strong uptake of solar power, together with the unique characteristics of the national grid, Australia is a global pioneer in BESS technology, competence, and installations from the largest, grid-forming batteries to microgrids for remote communities.”
The whitepaper paper cites Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) data, saying there are 361 large-scale solar and battery storage projects in the pipeline in Australia, which can participate in lucrative frequency control ancillary service (FCAS) markets with values as high as $40 (USD 26.6) per MWh and wholesale markets reaching up to $14,200 /MWh once per year.
“The utilisation of BESS is forecast to increase because of optimisation of grid investments in network infrastructure, with grid-scale battery installations being driven by projects co-located with solar,” the paper says.
“This strategy will also have a large impact in all front-of-meter solutions, such as utility-scale projects. From voltage and frequency support to grid forming and black start functionality, hybrid plants can enhance the integration of renewable energy into the grid.”
Looking forward, the paper says of the many factors driving hybrid systems these include a revision of existing grid codes in the face of increased penetration of variable energy and grid forming of energy storage systems with advanced power electronics.
This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: editors@pv-magazine.com.
2 comments
By submitting this form you agree to pv magazine using your data for the purposes of publishing your comment.
Your personal data will only be disclosed or otherwise transmitted to third parties for the purposes of spam filtering or if this is necessary for technical maintenance of the website. Any other transfer to third parties will not take place unless this is justified on the basis of applicable data protection regulations or if pv magazine is legally obliged to do so.
You may revoke this consent at any time with effect for the future, in which case your personal data will be deleted immediately. Otherwise, your data will be deleted if pv magazine has processed your request or the purpose of data storage is fulfilled.
Further information on data privacy can be found in our Data Protection Policy.