Energy Storage

Australian mining company Resolute Mining has inked a JDA and PPA with Ignite Energy, to construct what it says is the world’s largest off-grid solar hybrid plant, at one of its gold mines in Mali.

The South Australian state government has launched a $50 million fund to support construction of new energy storage projects, seeking to address intermittency in the state electricity system and make electricity more affordable and reliable. There will be one round of applications, with a closing date of Thursday, 7 February 2019.

Iron ore giant Fortescue Metals Group will invest $20 million into hydrogen research at Australian national science agency CSIRO’s Brisbane laboratories. The partnership aims to develop new technologies, create jobs, and capitalise on the economic opportunities associated with hydrogen.

Under the scheme, the state government will offer a combination of grants and interest-free loans for solar and battery storage systems to help 1500 Queensland households and small businesses save money off their energy bills.

As 2.1 GW of new capacity – mostly wind, solar and storage – has come online in the previous year, AEMO has sourced much less additional reserves than last year to manage potential high risk scenarios that typically occur in summer. Over the next two years, the market operator expects 6 GW of new wind and solar capacity to be connected to the grid, which will alleviate the short-term risk of involuntary load shedding during summer peak periods.

Australian developers Energy Estate and MirusWind have proposed a massive renewable energy hub in New South Wales. The project will combine wind and solar energy generation with pumped hydro storage and other storage options to provide up to 4 GW of new clean generation.

The China-headquartered battery manufacturer has joined Germany’s sonnen as an exclusive approved battery storage provider for the South Australian Home Battery Scheme. Alpha-ESS plans to set up a manufacturing facility in Adelaide, where it will build more than 8000 batteries a year and create up to 120 jobs.

Bloomberg New Energy Finance has significantly increased its forecast for global deployment of behind-the-meter and grid-scale batteries from now to 2040. The research company sees Australia among nine markets that will be driving this trend, as the economic case for batteries becomes unstoppable.

Australia’s first community battery trial went live on Monday, after the 52 available spots had been snapped up by Mandurah households – three months ahead of schedule. The trial involves a bulk Tesla battery integrated into existing grid and owned and operated by Western Power and Synergy.

Looking to set the direction for a smart energy future, the New South Wales government has launched the Emerging Energy Program. As part of the scheme, funding will be provided to support the commercialization of new low-emissions, large-scale power generation and storage projects, as well as underpin feasibility studies to help get new projects off the ground.