Ikea store in Adelaide hosts Australia's largest commercial microgrid

• Australia's biggest grid-connected industrial microgrid has been commissioned at the Ikea store in Adelaide, it was announced recently.

The microgrid consists of a roof array of 3,024 solar panels. It integrates 1.2 MW of solar generation with an on-site 3.45-MWh lithium-ion battery, controlled by eleXsys energy management system.

The AUD-6.6-million (USD 4.3 m/EUR 4m) project is powering 70% of the Ikea Adelaide store, while surplus power can be traded into the South Australian network sometimes of peak need. It was backed by a AUD-1.95-million grant from the South Australian government's Renewable Technology Fund.

The microgrid was made and developed by Planet Ark Power and also will be possessed and run by Epic Energy.

IKEA Australia sustainability lead Peter Richmond said the microgrid would add to the goal of 100% renewable resource usage by the Adelaide store by 2025 and also create more clean energy for the local community.