Endeavour Energy to deploy large scale storage to reduce network investment

Source: Endeavour Energy
Source: Endeavour Energy
Source: Endeavour Energy

New South Wales grid operator Endeavour Energy is tendering for a large scale battery storage array to reduce network costs for a new housing development west of Illawarra.

In what will be the first battery storage program for Endeavour, the 1MWh battery system is set to be installed at the proposed West Dapto Zone Substation, with the state-owned grid company believing it could reduce network capital costs by $1 million a year.

By providing grid services such as frequency regulation and by buffering electricity supply during peak demand periods, large scale battery storage is fast emerging as an economic solution for grid operators.

In new housing developments or urban infill projects that result in higher density living, large scale batteries can reduce the need for grid infrastructure including grid capacity and expanded substations.

In the West Dapto region, which is planned to undergo major growth as a population center, Endeavour Energy is looking to deploy a large scale battery array for precisely this purpose.

The grid operator has opened a tender to: “supply, install and maintain [a] grid scale battery energy storage system” at West Dapto. The proposed West Dapto Zone Substation will supply electricity to 21,560 homes and 5,440 “multi dwellings.”

Endeavour Energy says that the battery storage unit could “reduce network capital investments… by deferring network augmentation through the provision of energy during periods of peak demand.”

“It also provides opportunities to better manage load, improve load factor and support the introduction of electric vehicles and micro-grids.”

An Endeavour spokesperson told RenewEconomy that the pilot program would assess battery storage’s ability to manage load and increase reliability on its networks.

If successful, Endeavour is looking to deploy batteries “to defer construction of up to four zone substations to 2024.”

The storage provider successful under the tender will be expected to supply a turnkey solution, with Endeavour only carrying our basic site preparation and providing grid connection.

Both distributed and utility scale storage tenders are being deployed at various sites around Australia. The Alkimos Beach project, in Western Australia, will deploy a similarly-sized system to a new housing development in Perth’s northern suburbs. The system will be supplied by Energy Made Clean with the project receiving support from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA).

https://reneweconomy.wpengine.com/emc-to-supply-battery-system-for-large-scale-community-energy-storage-trial-48625/

SA Power Networks is looking towards distributed solar and storage to buffer the grid in Salisbury. The trial project is looking to install 3kW rooftop solar arrays coupled with 6.4kWh battery storage systems across 10 homes to meet growing local electricity demand.

The Endeavour Energy tender will close on February 17.

Comments

5 responses to “Endeavour Energy to deploy large scale storage to reduce network investment”

  1. Stephen Gloor Avatar
    Stephen Gloor

    Hang shouldn’t they be investing in super-duper-overhyped-ultracritical coal plants? This is greenie tree hugging energy and we need to return the 50s to be secure. Cause everything was so nice then

    Mr Josh will be very angry ….

    1. trackdaze Avatar
      trackdaze

      His masters do a marvellous job of hiding his strings don’t they?

  2. Ray Miller Avatar
    Ray Miller

    Good to see some different thinking to solve some problems, small tentative steps in the forward direction. What problem are we attempting to solve?
    The missed opportunity is serious energy efficiency and peak avoidance load strategies while maintaining all the customer energy services.
    First start with our housing and lack of being ‘fit for purpose’ during extreme heat without massive heat pumps. Our housing comfort regulations are so poor and not even enforced owners think they have bought a Prius only to find out they have a tank, that needs an enormous expensive grid to keep it operational.
    Then the level of end-use efficiency of many of our services is achieving third world status. Despite small attempts to set efficiency standards. We still can buy heating element cook-tops! Hot water services using resistive heating elements.
    So why do we not get a coordinated systems approach to minimising all our long-term costs and carbon emissions?
    I hold out some small hopes that the Finkel review will identify the real issues and that they will be implemented.

  3. Richard Avatar
    Richard

    This is good.

  4. Miles Harding Avatar
    Miles Harding

    While it’s welcome to see this sort of ‘future appropriate’ investment, there may be a better way of doing it:

    Tesla powerpacks are designed for substation installations. Pricing from tesla suggests about $650KAUD per MWh for a 500kW/1MWh system. (If they are paying more than this, they are wasting money, but the economics make this less important)

    By contrast, a Powerwall costs approximately $10,500 inclusing installation, making 1MWh of powerwalls (80 units) about $850KAUD, but distributed at street level and making use of domestic wall space.

    With a sub-1 year payback time, I am confident that an attractive offer to householders could be made, making 80 installations in 20,000 households an easy ask.

Get up to 3 quotes from pre-vetted solar (and battery) installers.