Grids & Integration

AGL Energy has completed the installation of a solar-powered microgrid featuring a 5.4 MWh battery energy storage system that is to support the transition of a New South Wales commercial orchard’s operations from diesel to renewables.

Tasmania and Victoria have been guaranteed a combined 1.7 GW of the 6 GW of new variable renewable energy projects the Australian government is targeting as part of what is the largest single renewables tender in the country’s history.

Energy management hardware specialist Catch Power has acquired solar monitoring platform Solar Analytics in a move it says will deliver the largest single advanced rooftop solar control and monitoring company in Australia.

The capacity of a battery energy storage system to be built alongside the coal-fired Stanwell power plant in central Queensland has received a “mega boost,” increasing to 1.2 GWh as the state government looks to ramp up energy storage capacity to support the transition to renewables.

More than 6,000 homes and businesses in Western Australia’s Kimberley now have the option to install rooftop PV with regional energy provider Horizon Power confirming that its Smart Connect Solar technology that removes network hosting capacity constraints is now available in the town of Broome.

An ‘Australian first’ demonstration of aggregated flexible demand in residential settings will be rolled out in South Australia with the state’s principle electricity distributor to deliver smart energy upgrades for 500 households as part of a pilot program that aims to coordinate power usage to better support the grid.

State-owned energy utility Synergy has awarded the construction and balance of plant contract for the 500 MW / 2,000 MWh Collie battery energy storage system being built in Western Australia’s southwest.

French multinational energy management company Schneider Electric has released two new battery energy storage systems with enclosures of 2.1 metres and 6.06 metres. Their power ranges from 60 kW to 500 kW.

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.

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.