ARENA financing enables New South Wales battery project to meet 300MWh ambition

• Freshly revealed financing support from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) is enabling the development of an intended large-scale battery project in New South Wales.

ARENA said this morning that its A$ 6.6 million (US$ 4.5 million) commitment suggests clean energy programmer Edify Energy can construct 150MW/300MWh of energy storage space at three sites.

They are being constructed beside a 333MWp/275MWac solar farm at Darlington Point, a small town in western New South Wales (NSW).

The ARENA funds will directly sustain the implementation of one of the 3 sites, a 25MW/50MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) equipped with sophisticated inverters.

Advanced inverter projects are presently an emphasis for the agency. It has already assisted fund 4 projects that have them as well as it is presently additionally running a A$ 100 million financing possibility for which it has shortlisted 12 other sophisticated inverter-equipped BESS projects for support.

Advanced inverter modern technologies enable batteries as well as various other inverter-based energy sources to supply simultaneous inertia to the grid, a vital solution which keeps the network stable as well as running correctly. Commonly a role played by thermal nuclear power plant, as the number of nonrenewable fuel source plants-- primarily coal-- for baseload decreases, there is a need for this inertia ahead from different methods.

At Edify's Darlington Point project, batteries will not just tighten renewable energy, however the systems will certainly enhance the grid in the southwestern part of NSW as well as in turn "aid to unlock even more renewable uptake," ARENA acting chief executive officer Chris Faris stated.

" To sustain the quick change of our electricity system, large scale batteries will require to advance to do greater than simply store energy. They require to be outfitted with advanced inverters that can supply essential grid security services to keep the system safe as well as safe and secure, specifically as simultaneous generators retire and also renewables supply a higher share of supply. That's why it is essential to sustain and demonstrate projects such as this, where batteries with innovative inverters can help supply essential stability services to the grid."

ARENA formerly supported Edify on an additional large-scale BESS project at Gannawarra in the state of Victoria in 2017, a 25MW/50MWh system and also one of the nation's first of its kind.

Similar to the Gannawarra project, Tesla has actually been picked as the battery equipment carrier for Darlington Point, with the California-headquartered firm's Megapack BESS option to be used.

Energy-Storage. news reported in June that Edify has protected a long-term syndicated lending center from financial institutions as well as offtake agreements with Shell and energy EnergyAustralia to utilize the Darlington Point battery systems in the National Electricity Market (NEM). The designer has actually sold a majority stake in the project to Federation Asset Management however retains a minority rate of interest.

ARENA noted today that the federal government of NSW has actually additionally pledged A$ 6.5 million in funding support for the project as part of the state's A$ 75 million Emerging Energy Program.

While battery storage space is playing a number of significantly vital roles in the Australian energy system and also making strong returns with the NEM, the seller nature of the income streams made versus long-term got revenues offers a difficulty to project designers, which need to encourage capitalists that unpredictability does not always equate to a large threat.