Western Australia is investing in hashtag#batteries in a big way and it was great to discuss what this means with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) recently.
The scale of batteries being installed is enormous compared to the size of the main grid in WA. By the end of next year the state will have over 2,000 MW of batteries, which is a large proportion of the average 2,800 MW average demand.
And these batteries will have a significant impact on the world's largest isolated grid, where rapidly increasing rooftop solar has already met 80% of state demand and where there is no interconnection with neighbouring states to help balance supply and demand.
By charging up in the middle of the day, the batteries will be able to soak up a lot of that rooftop solar, alleviating the problem of very low grid demand.
And by discharging in the evening peaks, the batteries will start to displace peaking gas, reducing peak demand and can start putting downward pressure on prices.
And this is just the beginning. Growing numbers of EVs on the roads means even more battery storage which can be orchestrated to help support the grid. We are only just starting to realise the potential of smart tech that can help consumers to automatically shift their loads.
Thanks to Daniel Mercer and the team at the ABC for the opportunity to join this exciting conversation. Link to the full article in case you missed the TV broadcast!
