Northern Sydney will reap the benefits of a new community battery launched by the Federal Government.
The battery was officially switched on in the suburb of Cammeray this week, with roughly 350 residents to benefit from savings of around $200 a year, as the battery absorbs excess rooftop solar during the day and feeds it back to the network during peak times.
The 200kW / 284kWh Cammeray battery energy storage system is built and owned by Ausgrid.
Community batteries can also avoid or defer costly upgrades to the electricity network’s poles and wires, benefitting all consumers through reduced network tariffs.
While Australia has over four million home rooftop solar installations, only one in every 40 households have battery storage.
The government’s Community Batteries for Household Solar program is ensuring households can share or use their excess rooftop solar energy locally and reap the economic benefits without having to buy their own battery.
It comes at an important time, as energy regulators look at slashing feed-in tariffs for household solar.
It’s supported by independent advice from the CSIRO and the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) that the lowest-cost plan for a reliable energy grid is Australia’s world-leading renewables like solar and wind, firmed up with batteries, pumped hydro, flexible gas and transmission.
“The rain doesn’t always fall, but we always have water on tap because we store it for when we need it–batteries like the one in will do the same thing with reliable and affordable renewable energy,” Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen said.
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