South Australian (SA)-headquartered turnkey energy solutions company YES Group has kicked off 2025 by energising the first phase of its 15 MWh Molongolo battery energy storage system (BESS) in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT).
Using China-headquartered Sungrow Power Supply (SPS) batteries, a New South Wales (NSW)-based Ampcontrol switchroom, the Molongolo BESS is connected to Canberra-based EVO Energy’s distribution network.
YES Group Chief Executive Officer Mark Yates told pv magazine the BESS, when complete, will be the company’s first registered and scheduled asset greater than 5 MW, in line with the company’s long term objective to build a distribution network-connected portfolio which has a diversity of type, geographic location and scale.
“We are working closely with the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) to deliver into all markets, including regulation frequency control ancillary services (Reg FCAS) in the coming months,” Yates said.
Image: YES Group
In December 2024, the company also achieved 100% export at its first build, own, operate project in Port Augusta, SA, and has a further eight projects under construction or engineering phase in NSW, within in the YES owned portfolio, amounting to a 100 MW pipeline. The Port Augusta solar farm also uses Sungrow inverter technology and will add DC BESS during 2025 becoming a hybrid plant project to optimise economic returns.
Image: YES Group
In late 2023, YES Group took on a large investment from Germany-headquartered PATRIZA AG’s APAC Sustainable Infrastructure Fund (A-SIF), a joint venture infrastructure fund managed by PATRIZIA and Japan-headquartered Mitsui & Co.
The investment transformed YES Group into an energy infrastructure platform with complete vertical skills to grow and manage close to 100 renewable assets on behalf of investors including Sustainable Energy Infrastructure (SEI) for solar photovoltaic and BESS projects and Prime Renewables for wind projects and now adds its portfolio of owned assets to the mix.
“We see great opportunity to continue working with our suppliers, landlords and customers to ensure we deliver renewable energy and storage solutions where they are needed,” Yates said.
“We have excellent relationships with our distribution network service provider (DNSP) partners such as SA Power Networks (SAPN), Essential Energy, EVO Energy and Ausnet, who recognise our skill and approach.”
YES Group Director and PATRIZIA Ag Partner Patrick Lee said the company’s vertically integrated model, combining development, EPC, O&M, retailing, and asset ownership, is uniquely positioned to deliver a growing portfolio of renewable energy and BESS across Australia.
“Our investment thesis is that the energy market transition requires a mix of large mega-projects and smaller distributed projects,” Lee said.
“Our projects have a smaller footprint, lower impact on regional communities, and faster deployment, making them a key part of the energy solution mix. The diversity and scale of the YES platform align well with corporate demand for cleaner, cheaper energy, as electrification continues to increase demand.”
A prolific developer, builder and operator, YES Group has traditionally been focussed on the sub 5 MW solar and battery market across the national electricity market (NEM), with over 130 utility-connected projects under its belt.
The retailing arm of YES Group, YES Energy, holds both aggregator and market retail licenses, enabling it to manage both the generation and the load from consumers, then firms its generation by on sale of renewable energy, to consumers under a mix of offtake arrangements, providing investment return certainty.
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