Utility Scale Storage

By understanding the challenges that impacted the solar industry, battery material manufacturers will be better equipped to scale next-generation technologies from the lab to have a real-world impact.

The Queensland Conservation Council has joined a chorus of voices calling on the State Government to abandon plans to rebuild the ageing Callide turbine after it was severely damaged by an explosion and fire, sparking the state’s worst power outage in decades.

Tesla has revealed it expects to spend more than $1 billion a year on raw materials from Australia for its batteries but the electric vehicles giant said the nation has the chance to secure a much more lucrative slice of the global supply chain as the world transitions to renewable energy.

The Institute for Energy Economics and Financial analysis (IEEFA) has published a report in which it points to seven key lessons energy planners the world over can take from South Australia’s extraordinary renewable energy integration. However, even South Australia, IEEFA’s model, still requires thoughtful planning and policy for the path forward.

Chief Executive of the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, Darren Miller, says he envisions a future where Australia will produce up to ten times more clean electricity than the country requires to become a “shining example of what is possible if you have the right ingredients and the right ambition.”

New data released by the CEC and confirmed by industry experience, shows investors have become shy of committing to large-scale renewable projects in Australia, where government intervention has created uncertainty, and grid risk is virtually impossible to quantify — even with a prized connection agreement in hand.

The Queensland Government is doubling down on its renewable energy strategy, announcing the state’s largest battery is soon to be connected to the grid and unveiling plans to build a large-scale standalone battery alongside the coal-fired Tarong Power Station.

Renewable energy developers in Australia have turned their attention to energy storage with the level of investment in utility-scale batteries skyrocketing by more than 300% in the past three months but that has been offset by a worrying decline in the number of large-scale solar PV and wind projects reaching financial close.

Queensland’s worst power outage in decades has triggered calls for the introduction of more utility scale batteries capable of providing security for the state’s electricity network.

The pilot project is combining hydrogen fuel cell generators with a combined capacity of 500 kW with a 570 kW solar array and 1.1 MWh of lithium-ion batteries. It is planned to come online in the spring of 2022.