Distributed Storage

The Australian Energy Regulator has released its Default Market Offer for 2021-2022, and it is another fall in electricity prices, especially if you live in South Australia, New South Wales or south-east Queensland. The regulator says one of the main factors driving the now continuous fall in electricity prices is the investment in renewables, in particular the estimated uptake of rooftop solar.

New South Wales network operator Ausgrid yesterday launched its first community battery in Beacon Hill, north of Sydney. It is one of three community batteries being installed across Sydney allowing solar customers to store their extra energy at no additional cost.

With 7,600 residents and many more travellers recharging at its holiday properties each year, Ingenia Communities Group is set to lead the retirement and affordable-travel-accommodation sectors towards solar uptake following a major investment by the Clean Energy Finance Corporation.

At present, China accounts for almost 75% of global lithium-ion battery manufacturing capacity and this share is set to increase through the short term with its build-out of new facilities. And although the US and Europe are enacting policies to encourage domestic battery production, there has been a distinct lack of support for investment in the supply and refining of the raw materials to achieve this. In China, the opposite holds true. 

The rush to deliver energy storage solutions to support Australia’s electricity grid continues apace with Meridian Energy Australia receiving approval to install a 20 MW battery energy storage system (BESS) alongside the Hume Hydroelectric Power Station in regional New South Wales.

Chip Breitenkamp, of Nanograf, discusses American battery manufacturing, how to ensure a resilient and equitable supply chain, and how to create jobs.

Dutch transmission system operator Tennet, which also serves Germany, is planning to create flexible electricity demand and reduce grid congestion by promoting the use of smarter heating systems and heat pumps that can also be powered by solar and wind energy. According to its experts, intelligent control of heat pumps may result in the creation of between 0.5 and 1 GW of temporary grid flexibility by 2030.

Western Australia’s government has today announced plans to construct what will be the state’s largest VPP to be hosted in the Perth suburb Southern River.

Australian battery casing company, Vaulta, has signed a memorandum of understanding with Quickstep, an Australian aerospace composites manufacturer, to develop smarter technology for renewables. The partnership will likely explore integrating battery casing technology that reduces the number of parts needed to house the batteries in electric vehicles.

Western Australia’s government-owned utility Horizon Power and electrical engineering company Ampcontrol have today announced their joint venture Boundary Power, supercharging the state’s standalone power system rollout and broader industry. To mark the occasion, Boundary Power has also unveiled its new, modular SPS Gen 2 and announced a $10 million deployment of another 45 off-grid systems across the state.