A new grid-scale battery energy storage system has entered into service in Australia to bolster power grid security across five of the country’s six states.
The 30-megawatt/8-megawatt-hour lithium-ion BESS in South Australia is owned and developed by transmission provider Electranet— and is adjacent to the company’s Dalrymple substation.
The ‘ESCRI’ (Energy Storage for Commercial Renewable Integration) BESS comprises Samsung rechargeable batteries integrated via invertors, controller and transformers from power company ABB. The system has a 12-year design lifetime.
Electranet said ESCRI has been built with two identical rows of lithium-ion rechargeable batteries coupled with two series of invertors that convert the DC power to AC power. The invertors supply power via six low voltage to a 33kV transformer and are connected via the BESS control room to an underground cable to Dalrymple. The batteries are charged from and discharged via this underground cable.
The AUD30 million (US$21.5m) project was part funded by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (Arena).
Arena’s acting CEO Nicola Morris said ESCRI would provide storage to support renewable power generation and offer fast frequency response to stabilise the grid.
“The battery will also work with the 90MW Wattle Point Wind Farm, and local rooftop solar, to provide contingency power to the households and businesses on the Yorke Peninsula if a power outage occurs,” Morris said.
The ESCRI project was announced in 2017— after South Australia suffered a statewide blackout that prompted a major review of grid security.
South Australia’s blackout also led to the construction of a Tesla Powerpack system in the state.
