South Australia is in the sparsely-populated south-central quadrant of the vast continent of Australia. Its land mass is twice the size of Texas, yet its population is a meager 1.8 million. This Australian state relies on renewables for more than 70% of its energy requirements. But the sector is still growing, with big batteries playing a vital role.
An Energy Mix That Relies on Big Batteries
South Australia is a leader in utility-scale renewable energy generation. It has commissioned numerous utility-scale wind farms, and solar farms since the turn of the 21st century. Although it is also actively pursuing geology with potential for geothermal energy.
As far back as 2021, the sparsely-populated state ran entirely on renewable energy for 6.5 consecutive days. There was talk at the time of fully phasing out carbon-rich electricity. Work continues in this direction. On October 9, 2023, Renew Economy predicted the arrival of an even larger storage battery.
The reasons for big batteries are two-fold. In the first instance, solar and wind cannot do their job properly without battery storage backing them up. The region also has a growing population, as a result of Australia’s drive to attract more technically-competent migrants from overseas.
South Australia’s Latest Torrens Island Storage
South Australia’s latest giant battery farm is on Torrens Island, just off-shore from its capital city, Adelaide. This is already the site of a natural gas / fuel oil power station connected to the grid, and commissioned in 1982. But this fossil fuel facility is gradually phasing out, leaving a transmission yard ready and available for renewables.
The Wärtsilä press release (see link below) describes a 250-megawatt / 250 megawatt-hour battery energy storage system. It provides additional stability to a utility grid increasingly dependent on renewables, by operating in grid-following mode. This means switching on when the grid needs it, and then turning off in quieter times and recharging quietly in the background.
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