First sod turned in plan to build networks of dozens of small batteries on regional grids

The portfolio of 27 distribution battery energy storage systems, or DBESSs, was announced earlier this month by Sustainable Energy Infrastructure (SEI) and clean energy developer Acenergy (ACE), targeting a total of 135MW/270MWh of batteries installed across three states.

The first phase of the project – the construction of seven 5MW, two-hour batteries on the regional Victorian network operated by Powercor – had its official launch on Wednesday, with a sod-turning at a site in Tongala, Victoria.

The installation of mid-scale batteries in front of the meter – in amongst the poles and wires and substations that transport electrons to and from households – offers a solution to a number of problems facing distribution networks trying to manage increasingly high penetration of rooftop solar.

The idea is that they soak up the excess solar that floods the grid during the middle of the day, and then discharge it back into the grid at night, theoretically making the evening peak power cheaper for all, and not just those households able to install rootop PV.

https://reneweconomy.com.au/first-sod-turned-in-plan-to-build-networks-of-dozens-of-small-batteries-on-regional-grids/