Bellfield and Coburg in Melbourne’s north-west are now home to new community batteries supported by the Federal Government’s Community Batteries for Household Solar program.
The community batteries located at Cyril Cummins Reserve in Bellfield, and Hudson Street in Coburg, are the first to be installed within Jemena’s electricity network in Melbourne’s north-west.
Jemena Executive General Manager of Networks, Shaun Reardon, said community batteries help stabilise the electricity grid while enabling more homes in Melbourne’s north-west to install rooftop solar.
“Over the next ten years the number of our electricity customers with rooftop solar is set to double from 15 per cent to around 32 per cent. Installing community batteries in areas with a high uptake of rooftop solar is one of the ways we are preparing our network for the future,” Mr Reardon said.
“Community batteries charge during the day when there is often a peak in solar generation and surplus solar energy available. They then discharge later in the evening when solar generation has reduced but there is higher demand for electricity as more people are at home.”
Homes and businesses on the same low-voltage network as the community batteries automatically access the energy they store through their existing electricity supply.
“There are around 130 homes and businesses accessing the locally generated renewable energy stored in the Bellfield community battery and around 245 homes and businesses accessing the energy stored in the Coburg battery,” Mr Reardon said.
Each battery has around 400kWh of storage which is the same amount of energy used by around 165 homes for two hours at night.
The locations in Bellfield and Coburg were selected in consultation with local councils. A number of factors were considered when choosing the locations, including electricity network constraints in the area, safety, environmental factors and projected growth of solar installations.
Local residents and community groups were engaged as part of the project and had their say on the look and position of the batteries.
“A Community Reference Group was established, made up of residents and representatives from community groups and sports clubs located near each battery site. Members helped select the local artists to create the artwork, ensuring the battery reflects the unique landscape of the area,” Mr Reardon said.
“We also engaged local households and businesses through letterbox drops, surveys and online information sessions.”
The community batteries are one of a number of projects underway that will allow more export of solar energy back into the grid across Jemena’s electricity network.
“The amount of solar energy that can be exported back into the grid within our electricity network has grown by more than 70 per cent from levels seen in 2020,” Mr Reardon said. “This was achieved through an optimisation program aimed at ensuring the network is equipped to host additional solar energy with no impact to the power supply customers rely on each day.
“We will continue to invest in new technologies, such as community batteries, to maintain grid stability as solar uptake increases.
“This is part of our work to build the energy system of the future; one which supports our customers to lower their emissions, and delivers energy reliably and safely.”
