Energy Storage

The Clean Energy Council has launched a new report, The Future of Long-Duration Energy Storage, exploring emerging technologies capable of firming renewables in the wake of coal-fired power generation closures.

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?

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.

Australian battery technology startup Relectrify plans to scale up the adoption of its cell-level battery control technology by international manufacturers of grid-scale and commercial and industrial battery energy storage systems after closing a multi-million dollar round of funding.

Australian energy infrastructure asset owner and manager Sustainable Energy Infrastructure is set to broaden its development strategy, teaming with renewables developer ACEnergy to roll out an initial tranche of seven battery energy storage systems with a combined capacity of approximately 35 MW/ 70 MWh.

Jolt Charge will install 65 free electric vehicle charging sites across Sydney in the coming 12 months after the New South Wales government committed $4.1 million to support the largest rollout of public kerbside electric vehicle chargers in the country.

BloombergNEF says in a new report that solar and wind must drive most emissions cuts before 2030 to stay on track for net zero by 2050. Its net zero scenario targets a combined solar and wind capacity of 31 TW by 2050.

The Australian government has announced its new multi-billion-dollar National Battery Strategy aiming to boost the country’s domestic battery manufacturing capabilities and critical minerals processing capacity.

The New South Wales government has confirmed the Eraring Power Station will remain open two years beyond its planned 2025 closure date, with the black coal-fired power plant to now remain in operation until August 2027, with the potential for a further extension until April 2029.

New South Wales distributed network provider Ausgrid has powered up its third battery energy storage system under the federal government’s $200 million Community Batteries for Household Solar program.