The largest and most advanced battery system in New South Wales, Australia, has gone live, Federation Asset Management and Edify Energy said.
The battery system, now fully operational, is made up of three independent, but co-located units with its output contracted to Shell Energy and EnergyAustralia for 10 years. It is located in Wiradjuri Country, the largest Aboriginal Nation in New South Wales.
The 150-megawatt, 300-megawatt-hour Riverina and Darlington Point Energy Storage Systems (Riverina BESS) are importing and exporting electricity at full capacity for NSW customers. The system is expected to power 240,000 homes during peak times.
The new battery plant comes as Australia is emerging as a leader in global offshore wind industry, according to a recent report from the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC). The nation is expected to add more than 50 gigawatts in wind energy production over the next decade.
Riverina BESS is a collaboration between Federation and Edify, a 100% Australian-owned renewable energy and storage company. Federation owns 90% interest in the project, with Edify owning the remaining 10% and long-term operational asset management of the facility. Edify also designed and developed the system.
The facility utilizes Tesla Megapacks, which are heralded as a cutting-edge battery system within the National Electricity Market and are fitted with state-of-the-art grid-forming inverters, operating in a "virtual synchronous generator" mode. This means there is a reliable dispatch of clean energy on demand.
“The potential for battery storage technology is immense. It is a key part of the clean energy transition and goes hand in glove with harnessing and firming Australia’s abundant renewable resources,” said John Cole, chief executive of Edify. “This new system in the Riverina elevates the playing field with innovative firming technology ironing out the variable output of wind and solar, delivering affordable and reliable electricity to NSW homes and businesses.”
The system’s mode also means the storage system can function analogously to a traditional generator, bulking up system strength services and facilitating seamless integration of clean energy power plants in the region.
The project was partly funded by the Renewable Energy Agency, which provided $6.6 million, while the NSW Government also kicked in $6.5 million in funding for the battery as part of its $75 million Emerging Energy Program. Construction of the plant created 300 jobs, and there are three ongoing full-time employees now.
“As the nation’s aging coal plants retire, the need for energy storage becomes ever more pressing,” Stephen Panizza, co-founder and head of renewable energy at Federation, said in a statement. “Advanced grid-forming batteries like the Riverina BESS are critical to extracting the maximum capacity from our existing grid infrastructure, allowing timely integration of additional wind and solar generation into the NEM while our grid infrastructure is upgraded."
