MPower to add batteries across network of 5MW solar farms after success of trial

Renewable microgrid specialist MPower has flagged plans to install batteries across its portfolio of renewable energy assets around Australia – a pipeline of up to twenty 5MW solar projects – after a grid connected battery trial with Endeavour Energy was deemed a success.

MPower said on Tuesday that a 1.5MWh “grid-forming” battery energy storage system it had designed for the Endeavour network in 2018 had passed its final acceptance test with the network, after two summer periods of “stringent field-testing” by the NSW network operator.

The company said the battery storage project, connected to the grid in the Illawarra region, had passed the milestone after achieving its objectives of reducing network capital costs, augmenting grid capacity, and improving supply and reliability.

“MPower has demonstrated leadership in this area by not only delivering a market leading battery storage project in NSW but also by successfully completing the acceptance testing period which put the project through its paces during peak summer periods,” said CEO Nathan Wise in a statement.

“MPower’s early involvement in grid connected battery projects and our experience in integrating battery technology with solar PV projects has informed our Build Own Operate strategy and our focus on 5MW projects,” Wise added.

“We are exceptionally well-equipped to deliver a portfolio of solar and battery storage projects across Australia, starting with the three projects that MPower has already committed to in NSW and Victoria.”

MPower has been making steady progress on its $150 million plans to build, own and operate an Australian portfolio of up to 20 small solar farms of 5MW each.

The company announced in August that it had acquired the first two of the BOO projects, one in Narromine in New South Wales and another in Mangalore in Victoria.

In October, it secured its first connection offer from NSW network owner Essential Energy for the 5MW Narromine project, clearing one of the last hurdles before that solar farm reaches shovel-ready status.

In its statement this week, MPower said grid-forming battery technology was gaining widespread attention as a key ingredient for ongoing grid stability as the National Electricity Market accelerated towards a greater penetration of renewable energy generation.

And it said that the success of the Endeavour Energy trial had provided considerable validation of MPower’s battery storage solution – and a basis for the integration of battery storage into the proposed BOO sites.

MPower says a “sophisticated and proprietary” control was used in the Endeavour trial to enable the grid-connected BESS to operate in three distinct modes, and transition between them seamlessly.

In one mode, the battery supports the grid at times of peak-demand – known as peak-shaving. In another, it can switch to an islanded state when the main grid is down, and continue to provide power to the local network.

Finally, the battery can provide black start services, enabling the local network to recover from a complete blackout.

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