Energy Storage

As part of an ambitious plan to replace its gas power fleet with large-scale battery storage, the Northern Territory government has invited expressions of interest for a 25 to 45 MW energy storage system intended to support the grid in Darwin and Katherine.

It’s just over one month since the Hornsdale power reserve was officially opened in South Australia. The excitement surrounding the project has generated acres of media interest, both locally and abroad.

The latest in a series of international players in the residential storage space, French hybrid inverter supplier Imeon Energy has announced plans to open a new service center in Melbourne, providing further evidence of Australia’s attractiveness in this market.

Large-scale storage began to gain a lot of attention in 2017, particularly after Elon Musk’s famed ‘100 days’ tweet back in March. Now that this project has proved an initial success, it looks like more big batteries are on the way for the National Electricity Market (NEM).

With scorching summer temperatures set to hit major cities in South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales this weekend, large scale battery storage has become a major focus of the electricity reliability debate. The Smart Energy Council’s John Grimes says that South Australia’s leadership has been key in to the shift.  

Under the Cooperative Research Center Program 4th Selection Round, the Australian Federal Government will extend a grant for a smart home energy management system. Other awarded green projects involve an energy storage technology alternative for lithium-ion batteries and innovative generation of low cost, zero-emission, reliable electricity.

Independent oil and gas producer Woodside will deploy a battery and microgrid solution on one of its offshore gas platforms. The system is planned to reduce the facility’s gas consumption for electricity supply and its O&M costs.

pv magazine Australia speaks to conference presenters on solar energy for development outcomes via academic-industry collaboration.

The not-for-profit Alternative Technology Association (ATA) has launched a free service through which homeowners looking to install a solar+storage system can get information on how to best size their system.

Last Friday, the “world’s largest” lithium-ion battery was officially opened in South Australia. Tesla’s much anticipated “mega-battery” made the 100 days or it’s free deadline, after a week of testing and commissioning.