Minister for Energy and Resources Lily D’Ambrosio has launched the Tarneit neighbourhood battery, which received $800,000 under the $10.9 million Neighbourhood Battery Initiative.
The 120kW/360kWh battery will absorb extra rooftop solar energy during the day and return it to residents when needed.
According to the Victorian Government, the battery will aid in alleviating solar power export limits. It can supply up to 170 nearby homes for up to three hours during peak electricity demand periods.
The State Government has announced the launch of the third round of the Neighbourhood Battery Initiative, with up to $2.3 million in funding available for creating business cases and deploying neighbourhood batteries.
“Neighbourhood batteries are helping Victorians be part of the renewable energy revolution by storing power from rooftop solar during the day and deploying in the evening,” Minister for Energy and Resources Lily D’Ambrosio said.
Minister D’Ambrosio stated that Tarneit has some of the highest percentages of rooftop solar in Australia, and a new community battery will provide residents with access to a reliable, low-cost renewable energy source right at the end of the street.
Tarneit, together with neighbouring suburbs Hoppers Crossing and Truganina, has the greatest penetration of rooftop solar in Victoria, with about 14,000 solar houses accounting for approximately 42% of all users.
“There are many new families moving to Tarneit and having access to a neighbourhood battery will help to lower emissions and reduce power bills,” Member for Tarneit Dylan Wight said.
The Andrews Government introduced Australia’s first inner-city neighbourhood battery in Fitzroy North last year, with two more on the way, including a 120kW/390kWh battery and off-street EV charge-point erected outside a community centre in Richmond and a 150kW/300kWh system at Library at the Dock.
The Government is also committing an additional $42 million in Victoria to create 100 more neighbourhood batteries, increasing the number of homes with access to renewable energy storage.
According to the Government, Victoria’s neighbourhood batteries are an essential step towards meeting our nation-leading renewable energy storage targets of 2.6 gigatonnes (GW) by 2030 and 6.3 GW by 2035 – enough renewable energy to power roughly half of Victoria’s current homes at peak energy use while reducing emissions by 75 to 80% by 2035.
