Featured image: Western Power / Twitter
The state government and the city of Busselton today officially launched the first battery storage system in the southwest of Busselton. The new utility-grade 464 kWh Tesla battery will improve power quality and help upgrade the electricity network in the Busselton region.
Energy Secretary Bill Johnston made a statement to the media today in which he announced the creation of the first community battery in the southwest. The introduction of batteries for the community is a key area of the Distributed Energy Resources Roadmap, which was released by Secretary Johnston in April 2020.
Integrating batteries into local communities improves Western Power's ability to balance load profiles in the area throughout the day and allows more homes to install solar panels.The @CityofBusselton is the 1st local government area in the South West to have a community battery installed. Located in Vasse, the 464kWh @Tesla battery is the latest to be rolled out in WA, delivering benefits to the grid and community. For more 👉 https://t.co/dWq7dbIqeX pic.twitter.com/uA3g0wvbXo
— Western Power (@westernpowerwa) June 19, 2020
Later this year, Synergy will offer eligible households the opportunity to store excess solar energy in a communal battery, which will allow them to optimize energy use without the need to purchase their own household battery system.
Johnston said that Busselton's inhabitants did indeed accept the energy of the sun; over the past 10 years, the number of solar panels has increased six times.
“The Busselton community battery will also allow residents with solar panels to store excess solar power for use during peak times,” he said.