In the past 12 to 18 months, the NEM’s battery fleet has well and truly crossed the chasm from early adoption to mainstream acceptance, and is slowly becoming a key force in shaping dynamics in the physical market. The build-out is large, the pace of development has been relatively rapid, and — as we saw in AGL and Origin’s half-year results two weeks ago — battery earnings are becoming more of a focal point in company updates and strategy.

Pumped hydro continues to push for a place in Australia’s energy transition with the New South Wales government recently declaring two multi-billion-dollar projects Critical State Significant Infrastructure.

New South Wales electricity distributor Ausgrid has added another centralised community battery to its portfolio, powering up a combined 10 MW energy storage system in the southwest Sydney suburb of Bankstown.

Australia’s national science agency has launched a major revamp of its renewable energy research facility in Newcastle to provide new capacity for researchers and industry to test how technologies such as solar, wind, batteries and electric vehicles can integrate reliably into the grid.

Australian Solar Enterprises has submitted plans for a new large-scale solar and battery project in Queensland for federal environmental approval, saying the 400 MW solar farm will utilise a ground-mounted racking system that eliminates the need for concrete foundations and permanent footings.

Sporting footwear and apparel giant Nike has unveiled a world-first rooftop solar “swoosh” with a 1 MW solar array now installed atop the company’s 60,000 square metre logistics facility in Victoria.

Macquarie-backed Aula Energy has supercharged its renewable energy ambitions with the acquisition of five utility-scale solar farms in Australia and a development pipeline of up to 800 MW of co-located battery energy storage projects from British-owned developer Lightsource bp.

Perth-headquartered resources and technology company Australian Vanadium Limited’s subsidiary VSUN Energy will partner with Japanese manufacturer Sumitomo Electric Industries in its bid to develop Western Australia’s planned 500 MWh Kalgoorlie vanadium battery project.

Australia leads the world in rooftop solar penetration. More than four million homes now generate power from their own roofs, and battery uptake continues to accelerate nationally. This is a triumph for clean energy, and a global example.

Is the NEM on the cusp of a “Bactrian camel curve” in which small-scale behind-the-meter storage splits the evening peak? Within just six months of Australia’s Cheaper Home Batteries Program, small-scale storage is already at a point where it could be supplying up to half of the output of Australia’s largest coal plant, Eraring, during peak load.