Energy Storage

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.

The federal government’s plan to deploy 400 community batteries across the nation to soak up excess solar generated on neighbourhood rooftops has reached the Australian Capital Territory with sites for three new battery energy storage systems unveiled.

A new report published by the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) shows the nation’s clean energy transition is gathering pace with renewables, including large-scale and rooftop solar, accounting for almost 40% of the country’s electricity generation in the first three months of the year.

Australian solar and storage technology firm RayGen has secured more than $51 million in new funding to accelerate the commercialisation and deployment of its concentrated PV and thermal hydro long-duration energy storage technology.

New South Wales-based clean energy company MGA Thermal has raised $5.7 million to prove the scale and industrial capabilities of its thermal energy storage technology that stores heat in blocks made largely from aluminium and graphite and dispatches it to generate electricity.

Applications for the first West Australian tender under the Commonwealth government’s recently expanded Capacity Investment Scheme will open mid-year with an initial target of 2 GWh of renewable energy storage projects.

The company behind the 250 MW / 2 GWh Kidston pumped hydro project being developed in north Queensland has given the tick of approval to a $381 million takeover bid from Japanese energy giant J-Power.

Australia’s largest energy retailer Origin Energy Limited (Origin) has entered into an agreement with Belgian company Virya Energy to acquire the Yanco Delta renewables project that comprises an 800 MWh battery energy storage system coupled with a 1.5 GW wind farm in southern New South Wales.