Australian Renewable Energy Agency Invites EOI For Grid-Connected Community Batteries

• Last year, Australia's government made a news concerning the $200 million in grant financing for the Community Batteries for Household Solar Program. The initiative is aimed at providing community batteries to lower electricity bills and also emissions while also aiding storage of excess solar energy, and curbing grid pressure.

Last year, Australia's government made an announcement concerning the $200 million in grant funding for the Community Batteries for Household Solar Program. The effort is targeted at delivering community batteries to reduced electrical energy bills and also emissions while likewise helping storage space of excess solar power, and curbing grid pressure.

Now, a new round of grant funding has actually been begun as part of the plan. It assures $120 million to support over 300 grid-connected BESS projects of approximately 5 MW each.

Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) is leading the funding round with the objective to provide a catalyst to roof solar, increase the work of solar that is extra cost effective and take the pressure off grids. This will also curb electrcity bills and also certainly, emissions.

ARENA was given out $171 million of the Albanese government's Community Batteries cat for the distribution of at the very least 342 of the shared solar panels. ARENA has currently issued an EOI (Expression of Interest) for grid-connected community batteries.

Qualification

As per ARENA, the first financing round will begin with $120 million for grants, which will certainly be in between $2 million and $20 million. These will be projects proposing a minimum of 5 batteries. The second funding round will certainly see the remnant $51 million being assigned to projects that have longer development times.

The eligibility requirements is that each suggested battery project will have to be attached to the circulation network, in either behind-the-meter or front-the-meter configuration. It has to be in between 50kW and also 5MW (5,000 kW).

The EOI duration concludes on June 30. The completeb application process will start in September and also finish in March 2024.

The Advantage of Community Batteries

As numerous nations, consisting of Australia increase their share of solar, efforts sucg as shared batteries are the requirement of the hour. Batteries that are shared can be put up on parts of the grid with high roof solar uptake. This helps abosorb excess generation which in turn assists avoid lost solar generation. At the same time, they help take excess pressure of the grid reducing electrical power bills in addition to emissions.

Community batteries additionally develop a level playing field when it comes to access to roof solar.

According To ARENA Chief Executive Officer Darren Miller, calls community batteries "the following action" towards increasing distributed energy resources in Australia's advancing electricity grid.

"Not every person has the ability to mount roof solar, yet by storing electricity close to the point of consumer demand, we can minimize network prices and also reduce restrictions in areas with high solar infiltration. This will eventually lower electrical power prices for all customers," ARENA CEO Darren Miller stated.

The concept of community batteries is likewise at a nascent phase in India. In 2021, Tata Power-DLL in cooperation with Nexcharge, a joint venture between Exide India and also Leclanché, released India's initial grid-connected Community Energy Storage System (CESS) in Rani Bagh, New Delhi.