Energy boost to Victoria with biggest battery storage project planned
Plans for Australia’s largest battery storage project have been revealed by renewable energy developer Syncline. The proposal would see the battery located in Victoria and connected to the state’s main 500kV transmission network.
Syncline have outlined plans for the project, known as the Melton Renewable Energy Hub, to feature a 600MW/2,400MWh capacity, far larger than the current biggest battery in Australia. The Victoria Big Battery currently holds the title with 300MW/450MWh of storage capacity, and was recently given the green light to begin partial operations.
The Melton Renewable Energy Hub would be located just 25km outside of Melbourne CBD, and would feature a 12.5MWp solar farm to power its own operations. The aim of the project is to provide inertia, grid forming and voltage support directly into the transmission line which runs from the Latrobe Valley to the South Australian Connector. The significant storage capacity would also allow the hub to provide grid services and dispatchable capacity as gas and coal plants around the country shut down.
Syncline calls the Melton Renewable Energy Hub “a world class battery project located within greater Melbourne that will store wind, hydro and solar energy from regional Victoria, ready for when it is needed.”
Production will start in the second half of 2023 to support the grid over that summer.
Renewable energy generation rising fast
Victorians won’t have to wait until 2023 to see renewable energy on the grid however, with the previously mentioned Victoria Big Battery commencing partial operations while installation is completed.
Small-scale solar has also recently become Australia’s second-largest energy generator by capacity, with more green power being pumped onto the grid via consumer’s rooftops. Australia has been late to the uptake of renewable power, however, with most other developed countries ranking higher in terms of green energy share and emissions.
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