Energy Minister Bill Johnston announced that Western Australia (WA) has successfully secured six community batteries as part of the Australian Government‘s $200 million Household Solar Grant Program.
Six community batteries will be built in areas with significant rooftop solar capacity as part of a joint Western Power and Synergy proposal, allowing the transition to a greener energy future.
Minister Johnston stated that community batteries play a critical role in WA’s energy future.
“With one in three WA homes owning rooftop solar, it’s essential that we harness solar energy efficiently to deliver better outcomes for the community,” Minister Johnston said.
“Western Power and Synergy are working with Energy Policy WA to implement this community battery rollout to the initial six locations with work also progressing for the next round of Federal Government funding,” Minister Johnston added.
The Federal Government’s community batteries program, announced in October 2022, seeks to deploy 400 batteries around the country. So far, the program has funded 52 batteries, six of which are situated in WA.
Bayswater, Coogee, Dianella, Kinross, Port Kennedy, and Stratton are the six localities. Western Power and Synergy have been collaborating with the local governments in these locations, who have offered preliminary support.
The batteries will be comparable in size to Western Power and Synergy’s existing PowerBank fleet and will provide a variety of community benefits, including increased uptake of renewable energy such as rooftop solar, assistance in lowering electricity bills, and management of infrastructure costs due to peak demand.
The batteries are planned to be deployed by March 2025, with construction beginning in July 2023.
The funding for delivering community batteries is managed by the Federal Government.
“The State Government is committed to securing as much Federal Government funding for storage for our State as possible,” Minister Johnston added.
