“Next generation” wind-battery hybrid and CIS winner wins landmark grid connection approval

One of the first projects in Australia to combine grid-forming wind energy generation with DC-coupled battery storage at a utility scale – and one of the first of its kind to be backed by federal Labor’s Capacity Investment Scheme – has won approval to connect to the main grid, the National Electricity Market (NEM).

Baldon wind farm and DC-coupled battery, proposed for construction north of Moulemein in south-western New South Wales, has this week received Generator Performance Standard (GPS) approval from the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) and Transgrid.

The hybrid wind and storage project, which is being jointly developed by Goldwind Australia and Omni Wind Farm Pty Ltd, is still making its way through both the state development approval and federal EPBC approval processes.

According to referral documents, the project has variously proposed installing up to 1,400 megawatts (MW) of wind and up to 200 MW and 800 megawatt-hours (MWh) of storage.

But the GPS approval announced on Tuesday is for a first stage of the project, which is proposed at 346 MW wind generation project integrated with a 132 MWh DC-coupled battery energy storage system.

According to plans referred for assessment by the NSW government, the ultimate design of the wind farm’s battery energy storage system (BESS) is anticipated to be “located at or near to one or more of the project’s substations, or multiple small BESS connected to all or a subset of wind turbines.”

As Renew Economy has reported, the latter approach, where numerous smaller-scale battery systems are plugged directly into wind turbines throughout the project, has been described by Goldwind as the preferred approach for all of the projects it currently has under development.

Just last week, Goldwind Australia lodged applications to develop the up 600 megawatt (MW) Milpulling Wind Farm around 40km north-west of Dubbo, in the Gilgandra Shire Council on land where the turbines and batteries would co-exist with cattle and sheep grazing and cropping. 

The wind farm would include battery storage of up 250 MW with five hours’ duration (1000 megawatt-hours) that, according to planning documents, would either be spread across the project – “DC-coupled” to the turbines – or installed the traditional way at the connection asset (AC-coupled).

Goldwind Australia CEO Ning Chen says the grid connection milestone for Baldon Wind Farm means it will be among the first projects in Australia to combine grid-forming wind generation with DC-coupled battery storage at this scale.

“This approach enables multiple revenue streams from wind generation, arbitrage and ancillary services. It shares infrastructure across both wind and storage, improving cost efficiency while providing stability services that the grid increasingly requires,” he said in a statement.

“It represents the next generation of renewable energy in Australia, with a single, co-ordinated system using Goldwind’s latest 7H wind turbine platform.”

Baldon has also blazed a trail as one of two wind-battery hybrids to become the first winners of the federal Labor’s Capacity Investment Scheme (CIS), getting a berth among the 19 winners of the 7th CIS auction, alongside six much more common DC-coupled solar-battery hybrids.

Grid connection approval also demonstrates that DC-coupled wind can operate reliably within the grid – based on detailed testing and modelling with AEMO and Transgrid – a proof-point that Goldwind hopes will significantly strengthen the project’s progress toward final investment decision and construction.

Craig Stallan, executive general manager of Lumea – the the commercial arm of Transgrid – says Goldwind’s DC-coupled wind project reflects the increasing role of innovative solutions in supporting a more stable and resilient grid.

“Lumea and Transgrid Group look forward to working with Goldwind to help deliver the next stages of the project,” Stallan said in a statement on Tuesday.

According to the project website, the land proposed for Baldon wind farm is currently used for sheep grazing and there is an existing 220kV power line which runs through the centre of the site.

“Baldon Wind Farm will be connecting to the existing 220 kV Transgrid network via the X5 transmission line, which runs through the project site,” a spokesperson confirmed to Renew Economy. “This provides a connection pathway without relying on new transmission infrastructure.”

In the future, Goldwind is hoping to gain access rights to the South West Renewable Energy Zone (SW REZ) as a longer-term strategy for a possible stage two development, and to the Transgrid-backed project EnergyConnect, “which will result in a transmission line passing through the Baldon Wind Farm project site.”

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