South Australian electricity distributor SA Power Networks is set to develop a portfolio of community batteries to help support distributed energy resources and electric vehicle (EV) charging capabilities.
The organisation will trial a range of community battery use cases to understand how they could support the local population and capture the benefits of distributed renewable energy generation, such as rooftop solar PV.
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SA Power Networks confirmed that its portfolio of batteries will trial three battery use cases. These include two high-voltage network support batteries, four EV charger support batteries, and two community resilience batteries, similar to the ones we have recently reported on in New South Wales.
The organisation has begun detailed planning and design work, as well as collaborating with suppliers to purchase and install the batteries. Engagement with the seven relevant councils is also underway.
The high-voltage network support batteries will be installed at Robe and Lameroo, rural locations located east and south of the state capital, Adelaide. These will be co-located at existing substations already established in the regions.
According to the group, the community batteries will provide support services in peak load management and voltage management to improve the network’s capacity in targeted regional locations. In doing so, it is hoped that these batteries will help more renewable energy generation to come online in the near future.
Four of the community batteries will be allocated to support EV charging infrastructure. Although SA Power Networks did not disclose specifically where these batteries would be located, they confirmed they would be in “locations where connecting fast EV chargers has been prohibitively expensive due to network constraints.”
SA Power Networks is currently working with the government of South Australia and regional councils to identify optimal sites for these batteries.
Community resilience batteries
As previously noted, two of the proposed community batteries will be designed specifically to ensure community services are maintained in areas vulnerable to long-term, widespread power outages in regional and remote areas, especially during extreme weather.
The benefit of these batteries is that during an extended power outage, they will supply critical community services in town centres. This topic could likely come to the fore given the recent category one cyclone Alfred, which made landfall in Queensland over the weekend.
Last year, South Australia’s neighbour, Victoria, added energy backup systems to the second round of the 100 Neighbourhood Batteries Program. The programme covers systems comprising a neighbourhood battery, solar PV, a generator and a management system. Each battery’s minimum size is 20kW/40kWh, and its maximum size is 5MW/20MWh.
A recent guest blog written for Energy-Storage.news by Lachlan Hensey and Timothy Shue from Australia’s Yarra Energy Foundation delved into some of the key learnings from operating a community battery in the country – specifically the Fitzroy North community battery in Victoria.
SA Power Networks said it has commenced engagement with councils in potential deployment locations to identify sites that meet the site-specific criteria. Over the next few months, the group will confirm engagement requirements with councils and start developing engagement collateral and project updates.
EcoJoule Energy secures AU$15 million to expand pole-mounted energy storage tech
In other news, Australian energy technology company EcoJoule Energy has secured AU$15 million (US$9.5 million) to scale its pole-mounted energy storage solution in Australia and international markets.
The technology is intended to enhance the adoption of solar PV systems by storing excess solar energy generated by residents for later use. Additionally, a voltage regulation device is included to assist in integrating more renewable energy sources into the grid.
EcoJoule confirmed that the AU$15 million came from an investor group led by Ellerston Capital’s Industrial Growth Fund and Fifth Estate Asset Management. The company said the investment is consistent with Ellerston’s Industrial Growth Fund’s focus on the electricity grid and the collaboration between public and private funding.
EcoJoule Founder and CEO Dr Mike Wishart said the investment was a significant milestone for the company and noted the UK, Europe, Southeast Asia, and South America as regions with “major opportunities”.
“Ellerston understands our vision and brings valuable long-term investment expertise. Their support will help us capitalise on the enormous opportunity presented by the global energy transition,” said Dr Wishart.
“We’re a proud Queensland business, but our ambitions are global. In the next few years, we aim to expand internationally where we see major opportunities in the UK, Europe, Southeast Asia, and South America.”
Our publisher, Solar Media, will be hosting the Energy Storage Summit Australia 2025 in Sydney from 18-19 March. You can get 20% off your ticket by following the link here.
