Energy Storage

West Australian regional energy provider Horizon Power has plugged in a vehicle-to-grid technology test in the northern resort town of Exmouth to trial the potential of bidirectional electric vehicle charging to optimise the use of renewable energy while maintaining network reliability.

The federal government’s 32 GW Capacity Investment Scheme is already bearing fruit with a competitive tender seeking 600 MW of energy storage capacity in Victoria and South Australia attracting 19,000 MW of project proposals.

Victorian electricity distributor Powercor is seeking a licence to build new transmission infrastructure in a move it claims will provide faster grid connections for major projects such as solar and wind farms within its current distribution network area.

Queensland flow battery company Redflow has won a second deal with the United States Department of Defence to supply a non-lithium energy storage solution that will be deployed to improve energy security at a major naval base in Italy.

Akaysha Energy has secured $250 million in new financing that will accelerate the development of two large-scale battery projects in Queensland set to add a combined 710 MWh of energy storage capacity to the National Electricity Market.

French renewable energy and storage developer Neoen has initiated construction of the next stage of what will be one of Australia’s largest battery energy storage systems after securing a second four-hour capacity services contract for Western Australia’s main electricity grid.

Australian clean energy developers Atmos Renewables and Nomad Energy have received the green light for a 100 MW, four-hour battery energy storage system to be built near Merredin in Western Australia’s central Wheatbelt region.

The International Energy Agency has issued its first report on the importance of battery energy storage technology in the energy transition. It has found that tripling renewable energy capacity by 2030 would require 1,500 GW of battery storage.

As rising renewables penetration and electrification place ever more strain on the world’s grids, the use of grid-forming inverters, rather than grid-following models, will play a vital role in network stability.

Singapore-based renewables developer Vena Energy has launched commercial operations of a 125 MW solar farm in Queensland’s Western Downs region that is backed by a long-term offtake agreement with global tech giant Amazon.