Ausgrid has delivered its latest energy storage system under the federal government’s Community Batteries for Household Solar Program, commissioning a 160 kW / 412 kWh battery in Bondi that is designed to soak up consumer generated solar and help stabilise the local grid.
The Bondi battery, which also includes an electric vehicle charger that will be owned and operated by the local council, is the ninth community battery installed by Ausgrid and the sixth it has rolled out as part the Australian government program that aims to deliver more than 400 community batteries across the nation.
The battery is however the first to offer the energy storage as a service (ESaaS) retail plan that Ausgrid Chief Executive Officer Marc England said marks a “step change” in the evolution of community batteries.
“ESaaS allows multiple eligible customers to use community batteries in a similar way to a household battery but without the upfront costs,” he said.
“It’s a fundamental shift in one of the ways in which we’re engaging customers in this, because what this allows us to do is to pass through to them a lower grid charge for the customers in this area when they engage them in their electricity, and that’s a step change in how this industry works.”
England said enabling customers to store electricity locally reduced their reliability on the wider grid and can also help apply downward pressure on energy prices.
“Eligible customers in the vicinity of Ausgrid’s community batteries use the network less and therefore pay less in network charges, potentially saving them hundreds of dollars per year,” he said.
Ausgrid said the ESaaS retail plan will be offered in collaboration with retailers Energy Australia and Origin under a trial tariff and is available to all eligible residential customers connected to any Ausgrid community battery on an opt-in basis.
“This approach can deliver cost savings for consumers, improve grid reliability, facilitate greater integration of renewable energy and support home electrification,” ? Ausgrid said.
The distribution and transmission company has already installed community batteries in Beacon Hill, Bankstown, Cameron Park, Cabarita, Narara, Warriewood, North Epping and Bexley North.
Ausgrid said its rollout of community batteries benefit both the local communities they are built in, and the wider energy system.
“Batteries like this support power quality and voltage in the local area, they enable residents to install more solar and feed this solar energy into the grid, and support home electrification and electric vehicle charging,” it said.
“The battery will also provide system wide benefits, supporting more intermittent renewable energy generation by bridging the gap between when that energy is generated and when it is needed.”
