ARENA and the Victorian state government have announced joint funding of two large-scale energy storage battery projects in country Victoria. This includes integration of a Tesla Powerpack into an existing solar farm at Gannawarra near Kerang.
The Gannawarra Solar Farm was Victoria’s first large-scale renewable energy project of its kind. The 60 MW plant has the capacity to power 25,000 homes. The 25 MW / 50 MWh Tesla battery will be integrated into the plant with the aim of supporting the transition to renewable energy and improving stability.
The battery will reduce demand on infrastructure and bring in lower costs to consumers, according to Tesla. ARENA also says the project will “demonstrate how an existing solar farm can be retrofitted with battery storage”.
Construction is on track to start in March, and due for completion by next summer. Once completed, the solar farm / battery facility will be one of the largest of its kind in the world.
In addition, there are plans to build a second large-scale battery at the Ballarat terminal station at Warrenheip. The aim of this project is to ease transmission congestion and to support renewable energy generation.
Energy storage battery projects support transition to renewables
These two energy storage facilities will together serve several purposes:
- Support Victoria’s transition to renewable energy.
- Form a vital part of Victoria’s future energy mix.
- Improve and support grid stability.
- Reduce the need to expand existing sub-stations.
- Support wind and solar farms by increasing the energy they supply.
- Improve power quality and integrate more renewable energy into the grid.
- Reduce the cost of wind and solar power generation.
- Enable use of solar power at night in Victoria.
ARENA has promised to match the Victorian Government’s funding of $25 million for the projects, bringing total government funding to $50 million.
Projects in line with Finkel Review
These solar and energy storage battery projects are also in line with the recommendations of Australia’s Chief Scientist, Dr Alan Finkel.
Last year Dr Finkel said large-scale wind and solar farms in Australia should have access to energy storage facilities. He said batteries are useful on windless and/or dull days, reduce the risk of disruptions, and make the network stronger and cheaper to run.
Battery storage also provides similar benefits for residential solar power installations, by enabling use of stored solar energy on dull days or at night.
To find the best deal on solar power with battery storage to suit their needs, households and businesses only need to seek out reliable solar quotes online. The good news is also that the cost of batteries is falling all the time, and battery technology is improving.
