Solar battery storage in Victoria is charging up with the Gannawarra Energy Storage System now complete and in the process of being fully commissioned in the next few weeks.
Gannawarra is one of the first utility scale batteries to be built in Victoria.
ARENA have provided funding towards the large-scale storage project, which has been matched by the Victorian Government as part of its $50 million energy storage initiative, which was originally announced in March this year.
The Gannawarra solar battery storage project began exporting electricity to the grid in mid-October, and will be commissioned in time for the upcoming summer, predicted to be hotter than last year.
The new batteries have been installed to deliver critical supply and grid stability services in areas of the network where transmission lines are at capacity.
Northern and western Victoria’s hot, dry conditions are made for solar, but constraints in the system are limiting access to these fertile grounds for renewable energy.
This already leads to curtailment during windy and sunny periods, and is limiting opportunities for new generation to come online.
The 25MW / 50MWh Gannawarra battery is co-located with the 60MW Gannawarra Solar Farm near Kerang in the north of the state.
The Gannawarra project is Australia’s largest battery to be integrated with a solar farm, and is one of the first examples of an existing solar farm being retrofitted with battery storage.
Australian renewable energy company Edify Energy oversaw the development and construction of the battery, in a joint venture with co-investor Wirsol.
The battery system uses Tesla’s lithium ion powerpack technology.
The Gannawarra battery will be jointly owned by Edify and Wirsol and will be operated by EnergyAustralia, who also have a long term offtake agreement for the solar farm.
To read the full article from ARENA, head to their website.
