Community batteries are likely to become another tool in a decentralised energy grid, write Lachlan Hensey and Timothy Shue from Australia’s Yarra Energy Foundation.
On the first day of All-Energy Australia 2024, held in Melbourne on October 23, Kate Clark, programme manager at Victoria’s Department of Energy, Environment, and Climate Action, stated: “There are many different definitions and types of value that can be generated by community batteries.”
The Victoria government has opened a second round of its 100 Neighbourhood Batteries Program in Australia, which has been expanded to include energy backup systems.
The government of Queensland, Australia, will invest in 48MW/96MWh of distributed battery storage and trial the use of flow batteries to integrate rooftop PV generation into local networks.
An Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) programme to put AU$120 million (US$78.17 million) towards community battery storage received applications for more than ten times that amount.
Government-backed energy storage announcements continue to roll out of Queensland, with the Australian state set to begin a ‘Neighbourhood Battery’ programme.
Experts from the Australian National University explain how battery storage installed at neighbourhood level can benefit a very wide range of stakeholders.
