Energy Storage

Lithium-ion batteries are generally safe and unlikely to fail but they can catch fire if they are damaged or stored or operated incorrectly. There is a tremendous amount of research and engineering effort going into making batteries safer but are technological advancements being rolled out quickly enough?

The New South Wales government has made history, opening two significant tenders for projects of up to 1 GW of new, long-duration storage, and up to 3.98 GW of access rights to the South West Renewable Energy Zone.

The Australian Energy Market Operator has begun consultations with industry to develop a common digital platform in a bid to make the orchestration of rooftop solar, batteries, grid-connected electric vehicles and other consumer energy resources easier.

Canadian global asset management company Brookfield has reached agreement for a majority stake in Australia’s largest developer of renewables, France-headquartered Neoen, and is set to acquire a 53.32% stake in pursuit of 100% ownership.

A team of researchers from the University of Queensland has detailed five key recommendations needed to accelerate Australia’s transition to electric vehicles and ready the country’s infrastructure for an ‘influx’ of EVs.

Andrew Forrest’s Squadron Energy has lodged documents with the New South Wales government in a forward step on its proposed 2 GW Koorakee Energy Park that is to include a 1 GW solar farm and 1 GW of wind energy backed by a 1 GW / 12 GWh battery energy storage system.

Australian miner Evolution Mining is moving on a $7 billion plan to build a 2 GW / 20 GWh pumped hydro electricity generation facility in the pit of a 20-year-old gold mine in southeast Queensland.

Western Australian regional energy provider Horizon Power has begun the search for electricity supply solutions that maximise renewable energy sources like solar to power five remote communities in the Kimberley region, reducing their reliance on fossil-fuel generation including diesel and gas.

Queensland government-owned energy company Energex is pushing ahead with the deployment of up to 35 pole- and ground-mounted community batteries in the city of Ipswich as it explores how to best store and reuse solar energy from the state’s approximately 1 million rooftop solar systems.

Australia’s first eight-hour battery energy storage system is set to go ahead with German energy major RWE announcing it has taken the investment decision and signed key contracts for the Limondale battery project being developed in southwest New South Wales.