Energy Storage

Industry peak body the Clean Energy Council has arrived at a starkly different conclusion about Australia’s large-scale renewable segment in 2023 compared to independent analyst Sunwiz. In its latest report, it hails the number of utility projects under construction and is highly optimistic about the segment’s prospects.

Australia’s transition to clean, renewable energy has reached a major milestone with AGL today commencing the process of shutting down the last of three coal-fired generating units still operating at its Liddell power station in New South Wales as it prepares to completely close the facility before the end of the month.

Australian mining and processing company IGO and billionaire Andrew Forrest’s Wyloo Metals will progress plans to build the nation’s first integrated battery material facility in Western Australia after the state government approved the allocation of land for the up to $1 billion project.

Australia’s biggest electricity ‘gen-tailer’ AGL is one step closer to energising its 250 MW/250 MWh grid-scale battery at South Australia’s Torrens Island after receiving the tick of approval from the Australian Energy Market Operator.

Venture capital fund Macquarie Group’s new battery storage platform Eku Energy has been tapped by the Australian Capital Territory government to deliver the next stage of the Big Canberra Battery ‘ecosystem’ which will support the ongoing rollout of large-scale renewables and rooftop solar.

South Australian technology company EntX has been granted a license to explore salt deposits along the western side of the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia for the purpose of hydrogen storage.

Canadian-headquartered clean energy firm Amp Energy has secured the rights to develop a green hydrogen project with up to 5 GW of electrolyser capacity on the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia. Amp has signed an agreement with iron ore miner Iron Road which owns the coastal site, including the Cape Hardy Port Precinct.

Australian renewable developer GMR Energy, formerly Maoneng, has started work on its 240 MW / 480 MWh battery project on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula. The company has entered into an early works agreement with network AusNet, and is aiming to complete the $330 million (USD 220 million) by 2024, two years after the company had originally forecast.

Stanford University researchers have created a model to assess how much compressed air storage capacity might be needed for the deep decarbonisation of power systems, while compensating for the variability of wind and solar-based power systems. They applied the model to California’s energy system and found that compressed air could be very competitive on a dollars-per-kilowatt-hour basis.

A South Australian racecourse has now become a fully operational DC-coupled solar and battery farm. The Berri Energy Project, owned by retailer Flow Power, is part of the company’s strategy to build up to 50 MW of mid-scale (sub 5 MW) projects to supplement its offtake portfolio, Flow Power COO Byron Serjeanston told pv magazine Australia.