The battery is part of a trial being run by Ausgrid to allow residents to store their excess solar power and reap the benefits.
Ausgrid Chief Customer Officer Rob Amphlett Lewis says the project will transform the way solar energy is stored, reduce residents’ hip pocket costs, reduce peak demand and support the use of renewable energy.
“The community battery concept, which allows multiple households in a certain area to ‘share’ a storage system for the excess energy generated by solar panels, is a big step towards cost-effectively increasing the amount of clean energy which goes into the grid,” he said.
“Community batteries are cheaper for the customer, better for the community and greener for the grid.
“It’s a win, win, win.”
The trial aims to explore this alternative solar storage concept where solar customers can virtually store their excess solar energy and receive the benefits without the need to install a household battery.
Participating customers will continue to receive an electricity bill from their retailer and still receive savings from having a solar power system.
However they will also receive credits from Ausgrid every quarter, for the amount of excess electricity they virtually store with the community battery.
Canterbury Bankstown Mayor Khal Asfour is encouraging residents to consider the benefits.
“We’ve seen a big uptake in rooftop solar panels recently, and this fantastic initiative will allow people to store their excess solar power without having to spend thousands of dollars on the upfront cost of an individual battery,” he said.
