Bruny Island is actually a pair of islands off the southeast coast of Tasmania connected by a narrow spit of sand. Its residential population of approximately 600 expands exponentially during holiday season when visitors unlock their shacks. This maxes the 1950’s electric cable from the mainland requiring support from diesels. Thus it was a natural choice for a decentralized battery experiment the CONSORT Team has been aching to unleash.
Intelligent Household Batteries Into Bruny Island Grid
CONSORT is an abbreviation of CONSumer energy systems providing cost-effective grid suppORT. Consort also means the partner of a ruling monarch who assists behind the scenes. And that really sums up the idea neatly.
The Australian government has chipped in $3 million. This will subsidize 40 selected Bruny Island residents and also enable them to afford 10kWh photovoltaic batteries, and 5kW solar panels if they don’t already have them. Then they can sell their power to the island when it needs it.
These batteries will intelligently connect to central island grid control, where computers will import electricity from them during peaks. The homeowners will be free to use the energy as they choose outside these times. There are going to be several winners coming out of this. Beyond the few fortunate residents saving directly on their electricity bills, overall grid cost is going to come down.
Moreover, there will be a 91% saving on diesel fuel and air pollution, with diesel start-ups down by 67%. The government can also defer the cost of expanding grid supply from the mainland.
Finally, tourists can continue to bring financial lifeblood to Bruny Island in confidence the lights are going to work. Installers may choose between LG RESU, Tesla Powerwall, Samsung Scalable, and Magellan RES1 batteries.
The Bigger Picture for a Brighter Australian Future
The Bruny Island project is a beacon for the future. The project leaders sidestepped a single, central battery. As the capital outlay would stand idle outside of tourist season, they hope to expand their vision nationally. “We’d love to see that occur across the network,” they say. “Where we’re actually able to tap into these batteries as solutions to problems.”
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Preview Image: Bruny Island
