Trangrid has teamed up with the Riverina and Darlington Point Battery Energy Storage Systems to provide big batteries for its network. Photo: Edify Energy.
Could a new big battery help increase the capacity of renewable energy in the Riverina?
Energy giant Transgrid thinks so as it looks to deliver renewable energy to households and businesses without building new transmission infrastructure.
Transgrid has contracted Riverina and Darlington Point Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) to allow up to 120MW of additional capacity on a constrained section of the Transgrid network between Darlington Point and Wagga Wagga.
The Riverina and Darlington Point BESS facilities are providing voltage support services to Transgrid, allowing additional renewable energy to be delivered to customers in time for the warmer months when solar generation ramps up as the days get longer.
Transgrid executive general manager of network, Marie Jordan, said the electricity operator was embracing innovation to continually improve how it managed the network and drive efficiency in delivering access to cleaner and cheaper renewable energy to local families and businesses.
“Transgrid is going beyond the traditional poles and wires approach and seeking innovative, faster and lower-cost alternatives to increase system stability and reliability, and keep energy prices as low as possible for consumers,” she said.
“Southwest NSW has seen significant growth in renewable generation connections to the transmission network and this trend, which is forecast to continue, is having an impact on how this part of the power system operates.
“Transgrid’s contracts with the Riverina and Darlington Point BESS facilities unlock extra capacity on the existing transmission network and deliver additional renewable energy to local households and businesses without the need to build a new transmission line between Wagga Wagga and Darlington Point.
“This is Transgrid’s first contracted non-network solution to come into service with more to follow in other parts of NSW. These non-network solutions and technologies allow consumers to benefit from existing transmission infrastructure, avoiding the cost of building new towers and lines.”
Edify Energy chief executive John Cole said the large-scale batteries were revolutionising the energy landscape by time-shifting power to not only provide grid stability but also ensure clean energy was delivered at the lowest possible cost.
“We’re proud of our expertise in designing and delivering this advanced technology, and we’re delighted to support Transgrid in bringing more affordable, clean energy to the Riverina community,” he said.
Federation Asset Management co-founder and head of renewable energy Stephen Panizza said as the nation’s ageing coal plants were retired, the need for energy storage became ever more pressing.
“Advanced grid-forming batteries like the Riverina BESS are critical to extracting the maximum capacity from our existing grid infrastructure, allowing timely integration of additional wind and solar generation into the National Electricity Market [NEM] while our grid infrastructure is upgraded.”
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