Big battery joins solar farm to complete “cutting edge” hybrid renewables system

Singapore-based Vena Energy – which built one of the first large scale solar farms in South Australia and the first big battery in Queensland – has claimed a new Australian milestone: the completion of the largest utility-scale hybrid renewable facility with a single connection to the grid. 

Vena said on Wednesday that it has commissioned a 41.5 MW, one-hour battery energy storage system at its Tailem Bend project, around 90 km south-east of Adelaide in South Australia.

The BESS is the latest milestone of Vena’s Tailem Bend 2 Hybrid Project, which includes an 87 MW solar farm that was commissioned in late 2023. Adjacent to Tailem Bend 2 is the original, 95MW Tailem Bend 1 solar farm, which was one of the first big solar projects to come online in the state in 2019.

Together, the two solar projects deliver a combined capacity of 182 MW, which increases to 223.5 MW with the integration of the battery storage system. 

But it is Tailem 2’s “cutting-edge design” that Vena is most keen to promote. This allows the solar and battery components to operate independently while sharing a single grid connection – “a groundbreaking feature for utility-scale renewable energy projects in Australia,” the company said this week. 

“This hybrid configuration redefines operational flexibility,” said Vena Energy’s head of Australia, Owen Sela.  

“Our system enables simultaneous export of solar power to the grid and independent operation of the battery for energy export or storage.

“By optimising existing grid infrastructure, we are enabling renewable energy to be dispatched when needed, delivering cost-effective power to South Australia.   

“This ability to store surplus energy and meet high-demand periods advances our mission to accelerate the energy transition, while ensuring communities benefit from a smarter, more resilient energy system that supports the state’s 2030 emissions targets and Australia’s net zero future.”

Vena says it has approval for another BESS at Tailem Bend – a much bigger, up to 204 MW / 408 MWh big battery that would store excess renewables from the grid.

“This expansion underscores Vena Energy’s commitment to strengthening energy resilience and advancing South Australia’s 2030 emission reduction goal and Australia’s 2050 net-zero target,” a statement said.

Vena says the project sourced around 50% of its workforce from the local region, including Tailem Bend, Murray Bridge and surrounding areas, with an additional 35% from within the state during peak construction periods. Around 10% of workers identified as First Nations and 14% were female.