A community-owned battery energy storage system (BESS) in Australia could earn up to AU$250,000 per year, writes GridBeyond Australia’s solar, storage and EV regional director Stace Tzamtzidis.

On the first day of All-Energy Australia 2024, held in Melbourne on October 23, Kate Clark, programme manager at Victoria’s Department of Energy, Environment, and Climate Action, stated: “There are many different definitions and types of value that can be generated by community batteries.”

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) confirmed last week (11 September) that the AUS$523 million Battery Breakthrough Initiative has opened a consultation into the scheme.

The Victoria government has opened a second round of its 100 Neighbourhood Batteries Program in Australia, which has been expanded to include energy backup systems.

Australian network company Ausgrid has launched a new energy storage-as-a-service (ESaaS) offering alongside Origin Energy and EnergyAustralia whilst launching its ninth community battery energy storage system (BESS) in Bondi, the eastern suburb of Sydney, New South Wales.

ARENA has approved US$94 million in funding for community battery energy storage installations in Australia.

The first community battery energy storage system (BESS) has been switched on as part of the ‘Power Melbourne’ initiative in Australia.

The government of Queensland, Australia, will invest in 48MW/96MWh of distributed battery storage and trial the use of flow batteries to integrate rooftop PV generation into local networks.

An Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) programme to put AU$120 million (US$78.17 million) towards community battery storage received applications for more than ten times that amount.

An AU$120 million (US$81.34 million) government funding round has opened in Australia for community battery energy storage projects.