“Energy storage as a service:” Ausgrid unveils its sixth federally funded community battery

A new, federally funded community battery was switched on in the North Sydney suburb of Cammeray on Tuesday, where it will be used to soak up excess rooftop solar during the day and feed it back into grid in the evening peaks.

The 200kW/284kWh Cammeray battery, owned by network company Ausgrid, is one of 420 community batteries the Albanese government is building across Australia as part of its Community Batteries for Household Solar program.

For Ausgrid, Cammeray marks the sixth community battery to be awarded federal funding under the scheme, and marks the latest addition to the electricity distributor’s Energy Storage as a Service (ESaaS) initiative.

ESaaS, offered in partnership with retailers Origin Energy and EnergyAustralia, gives eligible customers access to the stored community solar without the upfront costs of installing a home battery system.

The inclusion of networks in the federal government’s community battery scheme has been contentious, with critics arguing that it puts third parties and actual community groups at a competitive disadvantage, while potentially robbing consumers of the full benefits intended by the policy.

The worst-case scenario, as Nexa Advisory’s Stephanie Bashir has put it, “it may result in adding 400 taxpayer funded batteries to the regulated asset base of electricity networks.”

Networks, in turn, have argued that they are in the best position to know where to install community batteries to soak up solar and drive down energy prices for all.

Ausgrid group executive of distributed services, Rob Amphlett Lewis, says the company’s ESaaS initiative can save participants hundreds of dollars a year on their power bills.

“Community batteries are an example of the huge opportunity which sits in the existing network to drive a faster, cheaper and more equitable energy transition,” Amphlett-Lewis said this week.

“Whether you have solar on your roof or not, Energy Storage as a Service allows customers to benefit from community batteries as if they are their own.

“And because they store energy locally, they reduce reliance on the broader grid, driving additional cost savings.”

Federal energy minister Chris Bowen, who was on hand to switch on the new community battery, likens batteries to the rain water reservoirs of energy.

“The rain doesn’t always fall, but we always have water on tap because we store it for when we need it – batteries like the one in Cammeray will do the same thing with reliable and affordable renewable energy.”

“Since coming to government, we have brought online new electricity that is the equivalent of more than three entire Snowy Hydro schemes while delivering immediate cost of living relief.”

“Our focus has always been on delivering cheap, reliable, and clean energy, and that’s exactly what this battery will do for the community of North Sydney,” said Tony Sheldon, Labor Party senator for New South Wales.

“This battery represents Labor’s commitment to a renewable energy revolution that cuts bills, eases cost-of-living pressures and strengthens our energy independence to secure Australia’s future.

“Unlike Peter Dutton and his Coalition, we’re committed to delivering practical solutions; not pie-in-the-sky schemes that cost an arm and a leg, push up power bills, and take decades to deliver.”