Top End to add 16 community batteries to its small, solar-heavy grid

The Northern Territory will add community-scale energy storage to its energy mix, after securing funding from the federal government for 16 batteries to be installed across the Darwin-Katherine electricity network.

NT minister for renewables and energy, Kate Worden, said on Thursday that the territory government-owned Power and Water Corporation had been awarded the funding through the first round of the Australian Renewable Energy Agency’s Community Battery allocations.

As RenewEconomy reported last month, more than 420 community or “neighbourhood” batteries have been approved by the federal government and Arena in every state and territory.

Arena CEO Darren Miller says the batteries are “the missing link” in Australia’s renewable energy system, enabling more rooftop solar to be installed helping households and other energy users take advantage of local solar energy.

This is a particularly urgent task in the NT, where one quarter of homes have installed rooftop solar, but the grid operators have struggled to manage the deepening solar duck curve; and where small solar farms have been sitting idle for several years, constrained by network limitations.

Minister Worden says it is expected that the addition of 16 community batteries will have a significant impact on local network constraints and will expand rooftop solar capacity, reduce emissions and keep power prices as affordable as possible.

As well as the federally-backed community batteries, the Lawler Labor government has set aside $3.1 million for preparatory works for the rollout of more solar and batteries in remote NT communities, including detailed technical analysis, to slash reliance on diesel generators.

The government’s Remote Power System Strategy aims to deliver an average of 70 per cent renewable energy to 72 remote communities. Worden says consultation has begun with Indigenous Essential Services community representative bodies including the Northern, Central, Tiwi and Anindilyakwa Land Councils along with 10 regional councils.

The feedback received during the consultation process will be incorporated into a detailed business case in the coming months.

Meanwhile, the addition of battery storage to the 1.1MW/3MWh Wurrumiyanga Solar Infill and Energy Storage Pilot Project on Bathurst Island is almost complete, with the battery being prepared for transport to the site following successful off-site testing.

“Investing in battery technology ensures Territorians will have reliable power supply as we move to integrate more renewable energy into our electricity grid,” Worden said.

“Because we own our assets, we can keep the cost of power low.”