Queensland’s first community-scale battery is nearing reality with the arrival of the main battery unit and kiosk in Townsville.
Connected to the grid next month, the 4MW Tesla battery will power up at Bohle Plains on Townsville’s northern outskirts, providing valuable back-up supply to the local community and also expected to bolster EV uptake.
The battery would be charged up on excess solar power fed into the electricity grid during the day and would be used to help during evening peak demand and temporary disruptions, including summer storms, Thuringowa member Aaron Harper says.
“With about 21,000 residential rooftop solar systems in Townsville, battery storage technology will help ensure power quality and reliability in our local network,” he says.
“The battery will also take pressure off our substations and other power assets and will explore how such technology may allow Ergon to push back spending on some network infrastructure.”
Acting energy minister Mark Ryan says battery storage technology is the next wave of Queensland’s renewable energy revolution.
Aaron Harper
“Batteries are now being installed at a rate of 300 per month, including 2750 under one of our Affordable Energy Plan incentive schemes earlier this year,” he says
“To date, our interest-free loans and grants scheme has encouraged around 4000 Queensland households to register for the installation solar and batteries, reducing their power bills and their emissions.
“It’s all ensuring that we remain on target to reach our target of 50% renewable energy by 2030.”
The battery will be connected to the virtual power plant (VPP), a high-tech control room at Ergon’s CBD headquarters. One of Queensland’s publicly owned electricity businesses, Yurika – part of Energy Queensland, manages the power plant.
Ten suppliers around the state are contracted to provide their excess energy to the VPP, which then uses that power to bolster supply to the National Electricity Market during peak demand. About 135.95MW of electricity supply is connected to the VPP.
