WA Gov pilots new long-duration battery
Energy Magazine
Kununurra is home to a new vanadium flow battery, with the Western Australian Government trialling the technology in the unique Kimberley conditions.
The battery has a 78KW capacity and 220KWh of storage, which the Western Australian Government said it well suited to the Kimberley as it requires storage solutions to be temperature resilient and capable of delivering energy over a long period of time.
The pilot is also expected to provide Horizon Power with lessons on how to integrate long-duration energy storage into its network, microgrids, and other off-grid power systems.
The Western Australian Government said battery storage already plays a critical role in the state’s energy mix, with large-scale batteries in Kwinana and Collie absorbing excess rooftop solar power during the day and redistributing it at night when demand for energy is greater.
VSUN Energy, a subsidiary of Australian Vanadium, has supplied the vanadium flow battery, and will collaborate with Horizon Power on system support testing over the next 12 months.
Western Australian Energy Minister, Reece Whitby, said the State Government’s continued investment in battery storage means households throughout Western Australia can continue to reap the benefits of rooftop solar.