When Australia’s Long Duration Energy Storage Council (LDES) called for tenders for eight-hour grid support, they were thinking hydro power. But there were no hydro offers on the table when tenders closed. The reasons for that included difficulty getting local approvals, and high civil construction costs. So LDES settled on an eight-hour big battery instead.
German Company to Supply Eight-Hour Big Batteries By Tesla
So the deal brought three continents together in the end. Australia has wide open spaces and sunshine. While Europe has technical muscle, and North America has Tesla Multipack storage units.
Successful German tenderer RWE AG generates and trades electricity in the Asia-Pacific region, Europe and the United States. It confirmed receipt of a 50+ megawatt / 400+ megawatt hour order in its press release we link to below.
Renew Economy confirms Australia’s first eight-hour big battery will be adjacent to RWE’s 249-megawatt Limondale solar farm near Balranald, New South Wales. It seems the tender was a surprise winner that set tongues a-wagging in the industry.
Does This Point to a Shift in Australian Energy Thinking?
It sure seems to suggest greater Australian confidence in battery storage. That’s because previous battery storage projects have tended to assume grid support roles. Whereas now, a case is building for a larger role in New South Wales transmission lines:
- Ark Energy is preparing to build a 275-megawatt, 2,200 megawatt hour lithium-iron phosphate battery in the north of the state.
- While Lightsource BP plans to build the 49-megawatt, 392 megawatt Goulburn River battery farm in the upper Hunter Valley.
Role Players in Limondale Eight-Hour Big Battery Project
The RDE press release confirms that Tesla will supply the battery energy storage system (BESS). While Beon Energy Solutions will be responsible for delivery of the balance of plant.
All three BESS projects will be adjacent to existing, or proposed solar farms. This ensures the energy supply and distribution systems should be ready and available as the eight-hour big battery comes online.
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