Energy Minister Bill Johnston has announced the commissioning of the new Harrisdale community battery as part of the virtual power plant (VPP) Project Symphony pilot.
According to the Western Australian (WA) Government, the community battery is an essential component of Project Symphony since it will assist in controlling and balancing the electricity system while providing users with the benefits of a shared battery.
The battery will absorb and store excess solar energy generated by rooftop solar panels during the day, then discharge it at night when energy demand is high. This helps to ensure electricity dependability for the neighbourhood by maintaining the power flow in the region during peak times.
The extra energy stored in the 1.34-megawatt community battery will be linked with customer-owned smaller batteries as a VPP, demonstrating the community’s potential to generate economic and environmental advantages.
The State Government said it is the first time in WA that a community battery of this scale has been coordinated with customer-owned individual batteries. Project Symphony will investigate how distributed energy resources like rooftop solar and batteries may benefit customers in the future energy market.
“Project Symphony’s new community battery will provide valuable insights into how we can unlock greater economic and environmental benefits for the Western Australian community as we continue to transform the energy sector on our way to net zero,” Minister Johnston stated.
“In the face of a rapidly changing energy industry, customer’s rooftop solar systems, batteries, air conditioning and community batteries orchestrated together can play an important role in enabling the greater connection of renewables and the continued running of a secure and stable electricity system,” Minister Johnston added.
The VPP is now being tested, with over 900 customer assets committed to participating. The pilot will assist in offering a greater knowledge of the actual operations of a VPP, including customer and community advantages, and will help shape the South West Interconnected System‘s continuous development.
Project Symphony is a cooperation between Western Power, Synergy, the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO), and Energy Policy WA.
The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has funded Project Symphony as part of its Advancing Renewables Program.
